Police speaks on King David Junior Ndejje school bus crash

• Police confirmed that 21 people, including 20 pupils and one adult, died in the Kapchorwa bus crash.

• The King David Junior School bus overturned after the driver lost control while returning from Sipi Falls.

• Several injured survivors remain in hospital as police work to establish their identities.

• Investigators are examining the cause of the crash, while bodies have been taken for identification and postmortem examinations.

The death toll from the King David Junior School bus crash in Kapchorwa District has risen to 21, Uganda Police have confirmed.

Traffic Police spokesperson Michael Kananura said on July 17, 2026, that the victims include 20 pupils and one adult following the crash at Chekwatit Village in Kimawa Parish, Kawowo Sub-county.

The crash involved an Isuzu bus, registration number UA 108BQ, belonging to King David Junior School in Ndejje, Makindye Division, Kampala. Police said the driver’s identity had not yet been established.

According to preliminary investigations, the bus had taken pupils on an educational tour to Sipi Falls. While returning to Kampala, the driver lost control of the vehicle. The bus left the road, hit a large roadside rock and overturned.

Police said three adult men and several children survived with injuries.

Emergency teams rushed the injured to Kaserem Health Centre IV, Kapchorwa General Hospital and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital. Authorities are still working to identify some of the survivors.

Police took the bodies of the deceased to Kapchorwa Mortuary for identification and postmortem examinations.

Investigators are still examining the cause of the crash.

The tragedy is one of the deadliest school transport accidents in recent years and has renewed concern over road safety during school trips.

The Uganda Police Force extended condolences to the families of the victims, the management of King David Junior School and everyone affected. Police also wished the injured a quick recovery.