On Thursday, 16th July 2026, the Uganda community was shocked by news of a bus carrying children on King David Primary School, Ndejje on their way from an educational trip at the Sipi Falls, Kapchorwa.
More than twenty Children are said to have died. This accident, and many others that have involved loss of children’s lives especially in the month of July break an unspoken hope: that as children, whether in boarding or day schools leave home, they will return safely. A number of players; parents, schools and government have a duty towards the safety of children. But this duty increasingly gets broken as accidents involving school children disturbingly become frequent, leaving several families and communities heart-broken and with a painful question unanswered; how many more children must die before a decisive action is taken?
With a broken heart, I scrolled through a series of videos shared from several platforms, showing shock and awe that King David School parents were undergoing – some collapsed. Some lost one child, others more. Very painful. Each time a school bus overturns, hits a mechanically problematic truck parked on the roadside or encounters a mechanical failure, we say; It was God’s timing. God loves children but the Ugandan educational community has pushed for an untimely calling of these children. Meantime, public officials offer condolences, sometimes accompanied with financial support for burial arrangements. The condemnations against traffic recklessness equal promises to do something. But the attention quickly shifts and the cycle is repeated, year in and out.
In response to the painful scenes, the Education Ministry temporarily suspended all educational trips. The Ugandan Government exists not merely to respond to disasters but to prevent them. The duty to protect children is derived from several sources; the Constitution, the Children’s Act, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. For children who cannot protect themselves, the principle of the best interests of the child is fundamental in children’s rights law. This means that in all actions and programs, public and private institutions must act in a manner that prioritizes the welfare of the child. For instance, risks associated with the trips (overloaded vehicles and length of journeys) compromise the physical, emotional and educational development rights. As the government takes a spectator’s position, many educational institutions have prioritized administrative conveniences and financial benefits over children’s fundamental welfare rights and safe learning environments.
Uganda’s children are not dying because of absence of laws and regulations but inconsistences in enforcement. The Traffic and Road Safety Act (1998) for instance gives clear guidelines on traffic behavior. Mechanically unfit vehicles with unlicensed, sometimes aged drivers pass traffic points as they maneuver potholed, narrow and slippery roads. As the Ministry of Education works out guidelines for educational trips, communities battle trauma of their children’s interrupted dreams in a speeding car, controlled by a reckless driver. Citizens expect leadership that communicates clear and practical measures to prevent similar future tragedies. Government and in particular, the Education Ministry must see these tragedies as both a governance and moral issue. The commitment of a nation to its future is reflected in its protection of the current generation. Every child lost is not just a personal tragedy, it is collective failure. The Ministry must tirelessly work to see that children are not casualties of administrative benefits and institutional complacency. This doesn’t require new laws – existing ones can be strengthened. Drivers entrusted with children’s lives should meet highest professional standards, schools have clear justifications for moving children to extremely distant places under the guise of education.
When responsible government players become spectators, preventable risks are normalized. Public statements becomes key performance indicators and not the number of prevented tragedies. Teachers continue to shamelessly put children on phone to ask parents to trip fees. Eventually parents give in. And then death strikes, the mourning resumes and eventually becomes public policy. Condolences become main action. Uganda’s children surely deserve more than sympathy after tragedy strikes. A different path must be chosen.
Dr. Anne Abaho is a Senior lecturer, Concerned Citizen.
