Police have arrested two school bus drivers after they were allegedly found transporting far more pupils than their vehicles were permitted to carry during a traffic enforcement operation in Kampala.
The suspects were identified as Kimbugwe Alia, the driver of bus registration UA 092AS, and Mutesasira Abubakari, who was driving UAN 619X. Police said the buses, both carrying pupils from St. Kizito Primary School on an educational trip, were intercepted at the Golf Course area in Kampala.
According to police, Kimbugwe’s bus was carrying 110 pupils, while Mutesasira’s vehicle had 97 pupils on board.
The two drivers have been charged with traffic-related offences and are being held at Kampala Central Police Station (CPS) pending their appearance in court.
Police said they are working with the school’s management to ensure the pupils continue their journey using safe and appropriate transport arrangements.
The arrests come amid heightened scrutiny of school transport safety following the recent Kapchorwa bus crash involving pupils of King David Junior School, Ndejje, which claimed more than 20 lives.
In the aftermath of that tragedy, Acting Education Minister Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo announced the immediate suspension of all school educational trips and excursions as the government reviews safety measures.
Authorities are also developing new guidelines aimed at strengthening the safety of school transport.
The proposed measures are expected to address concerns such as passenger limits, vehicle roadworthiness, driver qualifications and compliance with traffic regulations before school trips are allowed to resume.
The latest arrests underscore ongoing concerns over overloading and other unsafe transport practices that continue to place schoolchildren at risk.
Police have urged schools and transport operators to comply with existing road safety laws, warning that enforcement operations will continue across the country.
