Parents in Kampala are calling for urgent government intervention to enhance school trip safety following a tragic road accident that killed two pupils from Daystar Junior School in Makindye. The crash occurred late at night on 3 August as the school bus was returning from a tour in Kasese District.
The accident, which involved a bus carrying around 70 students and four staff members, claimed the lives of Phiona Kakembo and Pamela Nabasumba. Ten other pupils were injured and rushed to hospital, though most have since been discharged.
In response to the tragedy, parents are urging the Ministry of Education and Sports to enforce tighter regulations on school travel. Speaking in the aftermath, parent Rachael Nagasha said the accident might have been avoided if the pupils had not been travelling late at night.
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“Our children should never have been on the road at such an hour, especially with a fatigued driver. We need the Ministry to step up and regulate travel times for school tours,” Ms Nagasha said.
Another parent, David Mawanda, stressed the need for broader reforms, including stricter checks on vehicle maintenance, driver working hours, and emergency preparedness. “Our children are our future. We need concrete action, not just promises,” he said.
School in Mourning
At Daystar Junior School, grief has enveloped the community. The school has temporarily closed for one week to allow students and staff time to mourn. A prayer service was held on the school compound on Tuesday, where parents, pupils, and teachers gathered to honour the lives lost.
Ezra Luhira, the school’s dean of students, described the crash as the worst experience in the school’s 10-year history. “We’ve been organising trips for years without any incident. This has shaken us deeply,” he said.
The victims were buried in their respective hometowns—Kakembo in Mukono and Nabasumba in Masaka. The school’s director, Mr Jude Nyanzi, remains hospitalised, while headteacher Irene Nansikombi, who was also injured, gave a heart-wrenching account of witnessing her daughter’s final moments.
“She was sitting right next to me when the crash happened,” Ms Nansikombi recalled. “Despite my injuries, I tried to rescue as many children as I could. But seeing my daughter lifeless… her face beyond recognition… it was unbearable.”
She described her daughter’s strong faith, sharing that Nabasumba often carried a Bible and filled her mother’s books with scriptures. “She always said she would die while serving God,” she said.
Despite the tragedy, Ms Nansikombi urged parents not to withdraw their children from the school, assuring them of the staff’s commitment to safety going forward.
Government Guidelines on School Trips
In May, the Ministry of Education and Sports issued new safety guidelines for school trips. These include:
- All travel must end by 6:00 PM on the same day.
- Detailed itineraries, including approved stopovers and accommodation plans, must be submitted in advance.
- Kindergarten children are prohibited from going on trips, and lower primary students may only travel under exceptional circumstances.
- Police must be informed of all travel details, including routes and teacher contacts.
The ministry’s directives aim to prevent similar tragedies, though parents now say stricter enforcement is needed to ensure compliance and protect learners’ lives.
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