Several Students Injured as School Coaster Collides with Sugarcane Truck on Jinja–Kamuli Road
KAMULI, Uganda — Several students were injured after a coaster carrying learners from an educational trip collided with a sugarcane truck at Busota along the Jinja–Kamuli Road on Friday night, July 17, 2026.
The students, who were from Nalango Secondary School, were reportedly returning from a study tour in Jinja when the crash occurred.
Rescue teams, health workers and residents rushed to the scene following the collision. The injured students were later taken to Kamuli Main Hospital and Busota Health Centre III for medical treatment.
As of Saturday, authorities had not yet released the exact number of students injured in the accident. Police also said the cause of the crash had not been established, with investigations still underway.
The accident has raised fresh concerns about the safety of students travelling on Uganda’s highways, particularly on roads frequently used by heavy commercial vehicles, including sugarcane trucks.
The Jinja–Kamuli Road is a major transport corridor in the Busoga sub-region, where passenger vehicles share the highway with large trucks transporting agricultural produce.
The latest crash occurred just a day after a deadly school bus accident in Kapchorwa District that reportedly claimed more than 24 lives. Following the Kapchorwa tragedy, the government suspended school study tours and educational excursions nationwide pending a review of transport safety measures.
The Kamuli accident has further intensified scrutiny of school transport safety, with authorities expected to examine whether the coaster met the required safety standards and whether all procedures governing the transportation of students on educational trips had been followed.
Recent accidents involving school vehicles, including the Mukono train collision and the Bugweri trailer crash, have also renewed concerns over the safety of learners travelling on Uganda’s roads.
Road safety experts have repeatedly warned that heavy commercial traffic, speeding, dangerous overtaking and night travel can significantly increase the risk of serious crashes.
Police have urged motorists to exercise caution, particularly on highways shared with heavy trucks, as investigations into the Busota collision continue.
