{"id":5161,"date":"2026-07-17T13:14:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T13:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eastafrica.news\/en\/?p=5161"},"modified":"2026-07-17T13:15:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T13:15:04","slug":"21-killed-as-school-bus-carrying-pupils-crashes-in-eastern-uganda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eastafrica.news\/en\/21-killed-as-school-bus-carrying-pupils-crashes-in-eastern-uganda\/","title":{"rendered":"21 Killed as School Bus Carrying Pupils Crashes in Eastern Uganda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At least 21 people, including 20 schoolchildren<\/strong>, have been killed after a school bus carrying pupils on an educational trip crashed in eastern Uganda, authorities have confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bus, belonging to King David Junior School<\/strong> in Ndejje near Kampala, was returning from a study tour to Sipi Falls<\/strong> when it crashed at Chekwatit Hill<\/strong> in Kapchorwa District on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to preliminary police investigations, the bus is believed to have suffered a mechanical failure before the driver lost control. The vehicle reportedly veered off the road, hit a large roadside rock and overturned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police said the victims include 20 pupils<\/strong> and the school’s founder and director, Tadeo Ssekade<\/strong>. Several other passengers, including children and adults, sustained injuries and are receiving treatment in hospital as investigations into the cause of the crash continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images shared online showed the bus overturned and badly damaged as local residents and emergency responders worked to rescue survivors from the wreckage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tragedy has once again highlighted concerns over road safety in Uganda, where road crashes continue to claim thousands of lives every year. Police statistics show that 26,044 road accidents<\/strong> were recorded in 2025, including 4,602 fatal crashes<\/strong> that resulted in more than 5,300 deaths<\/strong>. Authorities say reckless driving\u2014including speeding, dangerous overtaking and tailgating\u2014accounts for more than 40 per cent of the accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest crash has renewed calls for wider implementation of Uganda’s Electronic Penalty System<\/strong>, which uses automated cameras to detect traffic offences and improve enforcement of road safety regulations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At least 21 people, including 20 schoolchildren, have been killed after a school bus carrying pupils on an educational trip crashed in eastern Uganda, authorities have confirmed. The bus, belonging to King David Junior School in Ndejje near Kampala, was returning from a study tour to Sipi Falls when it crashed at Chekwatit Hill in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"postBodyCss":"","postBodyMargin":[],"postBodyPadding":[],"postBodyBackground":{"backgroundType":"classic","gradient":""},"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,21,45],"tags":[103,104],"class_list":["post-5161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-travel","category-world-news","tag-accident","tag-student"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t