By Flavia Ajok
Another school bus carrying students has been involved in a serious road crash in Eastern Uganda, leaving several learners injured, barely two days after a deadly school bus accident in Kapchorwa prompted the government to suspend all school educational trips.
The latest accident occurred on Friday evening near Busota Health Centre III along the Jinja–Kamuli road when a coaster transporting students of Nalango Secondary School, which is linked to Buzaya Secondary School, collided with a sugarcane truck.
Emergency responders said multiple students suffered fractures and other serious injuries, with several reported to be in critical condition.
The Kamuli District Emergency Medical Services (EMS) rescue team said it swiftly deployed ambulances to evacuate the injured to Kamuli General Hospital and Busota Health Centre III.
“The accident has resulted in multiple casualties. Many students have sustained fractures and other severe injuries, with several reported to be in critical condition.”
Medical teams at both health facilities were mobilized to receive the casualties.
“The emergency and medical wards are receiving a high number of casualties, and clinical teams are working tirelessly to resuscitate and stabilize the injured while providing definitive emergency care,” the emergency services team added.
Authorities had not officially confirmed the number of injured or whether there were fatalities by Friday night.
Images from the scene showed the front section of the school bus extensively damaged, with the windscreen shattered following the impact.
The latest crash comes as Uganda is still reeling from the Kapchorwa school bus tragedy, which claimed 24 lives and sparked nationwide concern over the safety of children travelling on the country’s roads.
Following that accident, Acting Education Minister John Chrysostom Muyingo suspended all school educational trips pending investigations and announced that the ministries of Education, Works and Transport, and Internal Affairs were developing comprehensive measures to strengthen school transport safety.
Friday’s collision is likely to intensify scrutiny of school transport operators and renew calls for tougher enforcement against speeding, reckless driving, overloading and the operation of unroadworthy buses transporting learners.
Police had yet to issue an official statement on the cause of the Busota crash, and investigations are underway.
