Opit Travellers bus that was involved in an accident
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Police has come up with details of the tragic accident that claimed the lives of 14 people along the Kampala-Gulu Highway, saying preliminary investigations indicate that the crash was caused by excessive speeding by the driver of an Opit Travellers bus before it collided head-on with an oncoming trailer in Omoro District.
The fatal crash occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Kulu Otit Village in Bobi Sub-county, near Bobi Trading Centre, when the bus, which was travelling from Kampala to Gulu City, rammed into a trailer that was heading towards Kampala.
Police said the collision left 14 people dead on the spot, including the drivers of both the bus and the trailer, while 28 other passengers sustained injuries ranging from severe to minor. The injured were rushed to various health facilities in Gulu City, including Lacor Hospital, Gulu Independent Hospital, Gulu Regional Referral Hospital and other medical centres for treatment.
Aswa West Regional Police Spokesperson David Ongom Mudong said police officers were still working to identify the deceased and notify their families.
“At least 14 people are confirmed dead according to the accident scene report, while 28 were injured. However, we are still trying to establish their identities, and we shall give the details in due course,” Mudong said.
He explained that the victims had been distributed to different hospitals within Gulu City for treatment and postmortem examinations as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash continue.
According to Mudong, preliminary findings point to speeding by the bus driver as the primary cause of the accident.
“The cause of the accident is due to overspeeding by the bus driver. I am also informed that both the driver of the bus and the trailer are among the fatalities. However, we shall verify and share that information shortly,” he said.
While police maintain that speeding was the main factor behind the collision, eyewitnesses at the scene gave a slightly different account of the events leading to the tragedy. They said the bus driver allegedly lost control while attempting to avoid a pedestrian suspected to have been intoxicated. In the process of swerving, the bus reportedly veered into the path of the oncoming trailer, resulting in the devastating head-on collision.
Police have not officially confirmed the eyewitness version, saying investigations are still ongoing.
Mudong attributed the increasing number of crashes on Uganda’s major highways largely to human error and urged motorists to exercise greater discipline behind the wheel.
He noted that despite continuous road safety campaigns and traffic enforcement operations by the police, many drivers resume reckless behaviour immediately after passing traffic checkpoints.
“We continue carrying out sensitisation and enforcement, but some motorists return to dangerous driving shortly after leaving police checkpoints,” he said, stressing that speeding, dangerous overtaking and failure to observe traffic regulations remain major contributors to fatal road crashes.
Mudong also appealed to passengers to become active participants in promoting road safety by speaking out whenever they notice reckless driving.
He urged travellers not to remain silent when drivers exceed speed limits or engage in dangerous manoeuvres, saying timely intervention from passengers could help prevent avoidable tragedies.
The latest accident adds to the growing list of deadly crashes recorded along the Kampala-Gulu Highway, one of Uganda’s busiest transport corridors. Authorities have repeatedly identified speeding, reckless overtaking and driver negligence as the leading causes of fatal road accidents, and continue to call for greater compliance with traffic laws to reduce the country’s rising road death toll.
