KAMPALA — The Ministry of Education and Sports has suspended all school trips and educational excursions across Uganda with immediate effect following the devastating road crash in Kapchorwa District that claimed the lives of 20 pupils and the director of King David Junior School, Ndejje, one of the country’s deadliest school transport tragedies in recent years.
The directive was announced on Friday by Acting Education Minister Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo as the nation mourned the victims of the Thursday evening crash involving a school bus returning from an educational tour to Sipi Falls.
“As an immediate precautionary measure, we must do something about the safety of our children. All school trips and education excursions are suspended with immediate effect until further notice,” Dr. Muyingo said.
The minister explained that the suspension would remain in force while the ministry undertakes a comprehensive review of the existing guidelines governing school trips and educational excursions.
He said the review is intended to strengthen the safety of learners before such activities resume, adding that the ministry will soon issue a detailed circular outlining the way forward.
The announcement came as grief engulfed King David Junior School in Ndejje, Wakiso District, where parents, guardians, relatives and community members gathered in anguish, desperately seeking information about the fate of children who had travelled on the ill-fated educational tour.
Many arrived at the school not knowing whether their children had survived or were among those killed. Emotional scenes unfolded as devastated parents embraced one another, some breaking down in tears while others waited anxiously for official confirmation.
Security was tightened around the school, with a heavy police deployment managing crowds and maintaining order as hundreds converged at the premises.
Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality Member of Parliament David Sserukenya arrived at the school with ambulances and coordinated efforts to transport parents to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital so they could accompany the bodies and injured victims back to Kampala.
School administrators, together with local leaders, also established a dedicated communication desk to handle inquiries from distraught families and provide verified information while minimizing panic among learners who remained at the school.
The fatal crash occurred in the evening of Thursday at Chekwatit Village in Kimawa Parish, Kawowo Sub-county, Kapchorwa District.
According to the Uganda Police Force, the bus, registration number UA 108BQ, was transporting pupils back from an educational visit to Sipi Falls when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the bus veered off the road, rammed into a large roadside rock and overturned.
Police confirmed that 20 pupils and one male adult died at the scene. The adult has since been identified as the school’s director.
Several other pupils and three male adults sustained injuries and were rushed to Kaserem Health Centre IV, Kapchorwa General Hospital and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital for treatment.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to Kapchorwa Mortuary for identification and postmortem examinations.
Police said the identity of the bus driver had not yet been established and investigations into the exact cause of the crash remain ongoing.
“The Uganda Police Force extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families, the management of King David Junior School, and all those affected by this tragic incident. We also wish the injured a quick and full recovery,” police said in a statement.
The tragedy has reignited concerns over the safety of school transport and educational tours, with the Education Ministry’s nationwide suspension marking one of the strongest emergency responses to a school-related road disaster in recent years.
You can read more on our earlier report on the school accident Here.
