The Ugandan government has suspended all school excursions following a tragic road accident that claimed the lives of 21 people, including 20 schoolchildren, in the eastern part of the country.
The accident occurred late Thursday as a bus carrying pupils of King David Junior School in Kampala was returning from an educational excursion to the Sipi Falls tourist site in Kapchorwa District.
According to Ugandan police, preliminary findings indicate that the driver lost control of the vehicle before it veered off the road, struck a large rock and overturned.
In addition to the 20 pupils, one adult also died in the crash. Three other adults and several children sustained injuries and were taken for treatment.
The tragedy has sparked widespread mourning across Uganda, with many citizens taking to social media to demand improved road safety measures and stricter standards for school transportation.
Reacting to the incident, the Minister of State for Higher Education, Chrysostom Muyingo, directed the immediate suspension of all school trips and excursions across the country until further notice.
Uganda continues to record frequent road crashes, with experts attributing many of the accidents to poorly maintained vehicles, reckless driving and inadequate road infrastructure, including poor street lighting.
The latest disaster comes less than a year after another fatal bus accident on the Kampala-Gulu highway claimed the lives of 46 people.
