Kapchorwa, Uganda: The death toll from Thursday’s devastating school bus crash in Kapchorwa District has risen to 21, with authorities confirming that King David Junior School Director Tadeo Ssekade and his child in Baby Class are among those killed.
According to Traffic Police spokesperson SP Michael Kananura, the victims comprise 20 pupils and one adult following the crash involving an Isuzu bus, registration number UA 108BQ, belonging to King David Junior School in Ndejje, Makindye Division, Kampala.
“We wish to confirm that, following the fatal road traffic crash that occurred yesterday evening at Chekwatit Village, Kimawa Parish, Kawowo Sub-county, Kapchorwa District, a total of 21 people, comprising 20 pupils and one adult, have so far been confirmed dead.”
The identities of the victims are still being verified by police. However, Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara identified the deceased adult as Tadeo Ssekade, the founder and director of King David Junior School, adding that his child, who was in Baby Class, also died in the crash.
Barugahara said the tragedy claimed the lives of 20 children, while dozens of other pupils survived with injuries of varying severity.
The minister said nine children remain in critical condition at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital.
Another 16 pupils are receiving treatment at Kaserem Health Centre IV, while three others have been admitted to Bulambuli Health Centre IV. Additional injured learners were taken to Kapchorwa General Hospital for medical attention.
“We extend our deepest condolences to their families, loved ones and the entire King David community,” Barugahara said.
Bus was returning from Educational Tour
Preliminary police investigations indicate that the school bus had taken pupils on an educational tour to Sipi Falls in Kapchorwa District.
“While returning from the tour, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road, struck a large stone along the roadside, and overturned,” SP Kananura noted, adding that the driver had not yet been identified by press time.
The bodies of the deceased have been taken to Kapchorwa Mortuary pending identification by relatives and postmortem examinations as police investigations into the exact cause of the crash continue.
“Police investigations into the exact cause of the crash are ongoing. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”
Tingey County MP, who is also Secretary General of Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), Hon Fadhil Twalla called for an investigation into reports that the bus had mechanical problems before the crash.
Twalla said residents had warned the driver before the bus descended towards Chekwatit. “What hurts most is that this accident could have been avoided if the driver took warnings by locals seriously,” Twalla said.
He called on the Ministry of Works and Transport and law enforcement agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The crash is among Uganda’s deadliest school transport accidents in recent years and comes just hours after the Ministry of Education and Sports suspended all school trips and educational excursions nationwide pending a comprehensive review of learner safety guidelines.
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