A school trip turned into tragedy on Friday morning after a bus carrying students and teachers from Mwebaze High School in Wakiso District collided with a Uganda Railways passenger train at a railway crossing in Mukono, leaving one person dead and dozens injured.
The fatal crash occurred at about 6:46 a.m. at Namumira Village in Nakisunga Sub-county, Mukono District, when a Friendship Coaches bus transporting students to Jinja for an educational tour was struck by a train travelling from Mukono towards Kampala.
Police and Uganda Railways officials said preliminary investigations indicate that the bus driver ignored mandatory railway crossing rules and drove onto the tracks despite warnings from both a traffic officer and the approaching train.
The impact sent the bus veering off the road before overturning, trapping several passengers inside as terrified students screamed for help.
Victims and police account
Police confirmed that one adult female, identified as the wife of the school’s head teacher, died instantly in the crash. Several students and teachers sustained injuries ranging from minor cuts to critical fractures and were rushed to Mukono General Referral Hospital and nearby health facilities for emergency treatment.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SP Rachel Kawala said the bus had been hired by Mwebaze High School in Bakka, Kakiri, Wakiso District, to transport learners and teachers on a study tour to Jinja.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the bus was travelling at a high speed and failed to stop at the designated railway crossing as required by traffic regulations before attempting to cross the railway line,” SP Kawala said.”It is alleged that the bus entered the crossing, collided with the oncoming train and subsequently veered off the road.”
Police believe about 100 people, mainly students, teachers and support staff, were aboard the bus at the time of the accident.Investigators have since launched a full inquiry to establish the exact sequence of events that led to one of the country’s worst school transport accidents in recent years.
Driver fled after crash
The bus driver fled the scene immediately after the crash and remains on the run.”The driver is still at large, and efforts to identify and apprehend him are ongoing,” SP Kawala said.She added that detectives are recording witness statements, reviewing CCTV footage from the railway crossing and gathering forensic evidence to determine whether other factors contributed to the collision.
Uganda Railways Corporation spokesperson John Lenon Sengendo said early findings point squarely to driver negligence.According to Sengendo, a police officer stationed approximately 200 metres from the railway crossing had signalled the bus driver to stop because the passenger train was approaching.
However, the driver allegedly ignored the instruction and accelerated onto the railway line.”The train crew repeatedly sounded the horn as it approached the crossing, but the bus continued onto the railway line,” Sengendo said.
He noted that the train crew had little opportunity to avoid the collision because trains require a much longer distance to stop compared to road vehicles.Following emergency rescue operations, the passenger train resumed its journey to Kampala.
Chaotic rescue operation
As rescue efforts unfolded, residents and boda boda riders rushed to assist emergency responders in evacuating the injured. Abdul Ssali, one of the first people at the scene, described a chaotic rescue operation.
“All the critically injured students were rushed to hospital on boda bodas because the available ambulances were not enough,” he said.Witnesses said cries for help filled the air as trapped students struggled to escape the wreckage.
Joseph Kaweesi, another eyewitness, said the students were singing while loud music was playing inside the bus moments before the collision.He believes the noise may have prevented the driver from hearing the train’s warning horn.
“The students were singing and there was loud music inside the bus. It is possible the driver never heard the train approaching,” Kaweesi said.Other witnesses, however, insisted the train repeatedly hooted as it approached the crossing and blamed the driver for failing to stop despite clear warnings.
Renewed calls for safer crossings
The tragedy has once again ignited debate over the safety of Uganda’s railway crossings, many of which lack automated barriers, warning lights and electronic signalling systems.Residents around Namumira said the crossing has long been considered dangerous because motorists have limited visibility.
They also accused DAKS Clearing and Forwarding Company of allowing trucks to park near the railway line, obstructing motorists’ view of approaching trains.Many questioned why such a busy crossing still relies largely on manual traffic control despite repeated accidents.Social media quickly filled with criticism directed at both government agencies and the bus driver.
Broadcaster James Onen, popularly known as Fatboy, questioned why Uganda has failed to install automatic barriers at railway crossings.”It makes no sense that railway crossings still don’t have automatic barriers. There aren’t that many crossings in this country. Surely it can’t be too difficult or expensive to set them up,” he posted.
Others argued that infrastructure improvements alone cannot eliminate accidents if motorists ignore traffic rules.Several users maintained that the driver should bear primary responsibility if investigations confirm he ignored instructions from police officers and the train crew.
Authorities urge caution
Uganda Railways acknowledged the need for improved safety infrastructure but stressed that responsible driving remains the first line of defence.
Sengendo said the corporation has already begun implementing a programme to install automated barriers at railway crossings in densely populated areas.However, he cautioned that even the best infrastructure cannot prevent accidents if motorists deliberately ignore traffic regulations.
He urged drivers, particularly operators of public service vehicles and school buses, to obey traffic laws and always stop, look and listen before crossing railway lines.By Friday afternoon, police officers remained at the scene documenting evidence while hospital officials continued treating the injured.
Authorities were also working to establish the identities of all those who were aboard the bus and to notify families affected by the tragedy.Police appealed to anyone with information about the fleeing driver to report to the nearest police station.
The Mukono tragedy is the latest in a series of fatal accidents at Uganda’s railway crossings, renewing calls for stricter enforcement of traffic laws, improved safety infrastructure and greater accountability among drivers entrusted with the lives of schoolchildren.
By Stephen Muwambi
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It is true looking at the footage, the bus driver can be faulted since the traffic officer tried to stop him. But it is also interesting that the traffic officer who appears in the footage was also standing ahead after the crossing. Could it be that the driver wanted to stop after crossing since that is where the officer was? We need thr driver’s version of the incident.
Another reality also can be observed. World over, barriers are installed at all train road crossings, often with traffic lights. The bus driver would have been forced to stop if there was a barrier across the road. Surely at such a sensitive and risky section we cannot just rely only upon a hand signal from a traffic officer. More safety measures should be installed in such a place. So to me there are more actors to be faulted in this issue beyond the driver of the bus.
A multi layered problem: driver, school, URC- all are to blame for laxity in handling the trip