One Dead, 15 Injured After Katakwi School Bus Crashes in Bugweri

A wave of grief has hit St. Paul Secondary School, Katakwi, after an early morning educational field trip turned tragic, leaving their bus driver dead and 15 occupants nursing severe injuries. The horrific accident occurred early Tuesday morning along the ever-busy Mbale–Iganga Highway in Bugweri District.  

The violent collision took place at approximately 4:45 a.m. in Nawangisa Village. An Isuzu bus, registration number UA 551ED, which belongs to Amuria High School but had been chartered for the trip, rammed with crushing force into the rear of a stationary Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer, registration number UBB 269V, which was parked on the side of the highway.  

The ill-fated bus was transporting 73 students from St. Paul Secondary School, Katakwi, who were traveling from Mbale to Kasenyi Landing Site in Entebbe for a mandatory geography field study tour.  

The driver of the bus, identified as 68-year-old Abdallah Kasakya, bore the brunt of the impact and died on the spot. Emergency responders found his body trapped in the crumpled wreckage of the bus’s cabin.  

Busoga East Regional Police spokesperson, ASP Michael Kasadha, confirmed the details of the tragedy, stating that out of the 73 students on board, 13 sustained various degrees of injuries, alongside one teacher and the bus conductor.  

Preliminary findings indicate that the heavy trailer had been parked on the roadside, and the bus driver may have struggled with visibility or sudden misjudgment in the dim, pre-dawn hours, leading to the rear-end crash. The impact tore through the front section of the Isuzu bus, shattering the windshield and compressing the front rows.  

First responders and local residents from Nawangisa Village rushed to the scene under the cover of darkness, pulling screaming and shocked students through the broken windows of the bus before police traffic units arrived to secure the area.

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The injured victims were swiftly evacuated to Iganga General Hospital, where they are currently receiving emergency medical attention for lacerations, fractures, and severe shock.  

According to police manifests, the injured students include:

 Senior Three Students: Joseph Iraat, Emmanuel Obweikal, Simon Emodit, Samuel Aanyu, Silver Okurut, Samuel Oila, Timothy Okot, and John Mark Ocen.  

 Senior Four Students: Samuel Martin Opio, John Martin Ingirot, Jeremiah Oumo, Isaac Alibet, and Perez Nyasurura.  

Also admitted with serious injuries are George Oluga, a teacher who was supervising the study tour, and the bus conductor, whose identity was still being verified by authorities by press time.  

A specialized team of traffic officers, led by the Regional Traffic Officer, thoroughly documented the crash scene. The body of the deceased driver, Abdallah Kasakya, was conveyed to the Iganga General Hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination before being handed over to his relatives for burial.  

Both the severely damaged school bus and the Mercedes-Benz trailer were towed to Busembatya Police Station. They are currently being held pending a comprehensive mechanical inspection by the Inspectorate of Vehicles (IOV) to establish whether technical failure or brake issues contributed to the crash.  

ASP Kasadha issued a stern warning to motorists, emphasizing the heightened risks associated with early morning and late-night travel. He urged long-distance drivers to maintain maximum alertness, look out for stationary vehicles, and ensure their vehicles have properly functioning fog lights and reflectors to prevent identical road carnage.