The Karuma-Olwiyo-Pakwach-Arua road cuts through Murchison Falls National Park, home to the giants – elephants.
On both sides of the road lies dense bush where elephants and other animals have roamed for centuries.
Along the roadside, a few warning signposts about animal presence have been erected by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
The Ministry of Works has also erected speed-limit signage within Murchison Falls National Park. But at night, some of the elephants crossing the road remain invisible.
These giants have for years claimed the lives of people travelling on this road. The latest incident occurred on the night of May 24, 2026, when a car carrying seven Uganda Revenue Authority officials struck a crossing elephant approximately 10 kilometres from the Karuma checkpoint.
Three of the occupants died at the scene. Four others, including the driver, sustained critical injuries.
Eyewitnesses gave a harrowing account of how the incident happened. They said the injured elephant, infuriated by the collision, did not flee. Instead, it charged and pushed the vehicle off the road into the bush and began smashing it.
‘We started breaking the window glass to pull out the injured since the doors could not open, but the elephant, upon hearing the noise, rose and headed for the car and began smashing it,’ recounted Mr Khaled Ali, a witness who helped rescue survivors.
He added: ‘The elephant started pushing the vehicle into the bush, and we fled.’
This upsetting reality reminds Mr Ismail Anguzu, a driver from Arua, of an incident seven years ago when he survived narrowly knocking an elephant with his car. The experience still sends chills down his spine, especially whenever he drives along the route at night.
‘My blood goes cold whenever I am driving on that road. Seven years ago, my life would have ended on that road. God saved my life because I nearly knocked an elephant that was crossing the road,’ he said on Monday.
He noted that visibility had been disrupted by heavy rain.
‘I applied the brakes when I was less than five metres from the elephant. I had to switch off the engine. When I restarted it, I saw the elephant charging towards my car. I had to reverse for some metres,’ he said.
He said he was already trembling because he had witnessed an earlier incident in which several people died after a now-defunct Koboko Coaches Transporters (KKT) bus knocked down an elephant.
This is not an isolated tragedy. It is another chapter in a growing crisis along highways that bisect wildlife corridors. For drivers who use this route, understanding the rules of survival is not optional.
He said drivers should be aware that honking or flashing headlights can irritate elephants.
What to know about elephants
According to Britannica, an African bush elephant can weigh between 4,500kg and 6,100kg, with some males reaching up to 10,886kg. By comparison, the average car weighs about 1,860kg.
The African bush elephant can also stand up to 13.1 feet (4 metres) tall at the shoulder. It has equally impressive ears, which can be up to 6 feet (1.8 metres) long and 4 feet (1.2 metres) wide.
To sustain themselves, these elephants require 330-375 pounds (149-169kg) of food and up to 50 gallons (190 litres) of water per day.
Mr Muhammed Odongo, a driver who frequently transports building materials along the route, said: ‘I usually drive slowly within the park, whether at night or during the day. But sometimes they emerge from the bush suddenly, and it becomes difficult to control the vehicle.’
He added: ‘Imagine a car knocking an elephant and how badly damaged the vehicle could be, while the lives of the occupants are put at risk. We need more control measures by UWA because we cannot stop driving at night; we also need to survive.’
The road cutting through Murchison Falls National Park has often been viewed as a breathtaking adventure route where tourists roll down their windows to photograph wildlife roaming freely across the savannah.
Today, however, the same road is increasingly becoming a death trap as wandering elephants collide with speeding vehicles, motorcycles and unsuspecting travellers.
Why the incidents remain worrying
On June 8, 2016, three people died in a KKT bus accident after it knocked an elephant in Murchison Falls National Park. Ten others were critically injured. The bus was travelling from Arua to Kampala when it hit the elephant at around 2am in Alengo Village, about one kilometre from Karuma Trading Centre in Kiryandongo District.
In November 2012, at least seven people died and 45 others sustained serious injuries after the bus they were travelling in overturned several times after hitting an elephant along the Pakwach-Karuma road.
Following the accident, KKT management and the Transport Licensing Board suspended operations on the Arua-Kampala route for about two weeks while drivers and other staff underwent review.
In October 2010, at least 21 people died in a bus accident at Wi-Anaka in Nwoya District.
A survivor’s testimony
Ms Florence Apio, a regular traveller on the road, said: ‘One night, while travelling on a California bus, the driver suddenly switched off the engine. We had travelled about six kilometres from Pakwach when an elephant started crossing the road. We sensed danger when the driver abruptly stopped.’
‘Then passengers in the front seats shouted, ‘Elephant, elephant!’ Shortly afterwards, I saw it disappear into the bush. Some of us hit our heads on the bus seats because of the sudden braking. If the driver had not braked, some of us would have died. The elephant was a real giant.’
Ask anyone who lives near the park and they will tell you the same thing: the road does not belong to you after dark.
People living in Purongo Sub-county have often faced the wrath of elephants through crop destruction and physical attacks.
Mr Geoffrey Okello, a resident of Wi-Anaka, said: ‘These animals do not care that these are highways for vehicles. To them, it is their natural habitat. If you are speeding at night, you are driving blind. By the time your headlights catch the grey skin, you are already too close.’
He said some elephants cross into community gardens looking for food.
‘Some of them are very dangerous, especially when they get angry. They can destroy property and even kill,’ he said.
Local residents say the situation has worsened over the past few years as elephant herds move farther beyond park boundaries in search of water and food, especially during dry seasons.
Control measures
UWA recently established electric barriers in parts of the park, although these have mainly helped control other animals. Along the newly tarmacked road linking Pakwach, Paraa and Masindi, UWA has installed speed-monitoring equipment, while the Ministry of Works has constructed numerous humps to limit speeding.
UWA Assistant Commissioner for Communications Mr Bashir Hangi said: ‘Motorists travelling through protected areas are strongly advised to drive cautiously, as wild animals frequently cross roads.’
He also expressed regret over the May 24 accident that claimed three lives.
Wildlife officials have previously acknowledged that human-wildlife conflict inside and around the park is common. Elephants, which often move in large family groups, can be highly unpredictable when startled by vehicle noise, headlights or speeding motorists.
Tourist vans, cargo trucks and buses often race through the park to save time, especially at dawn and nightfall when wildlife is most active.
The danger is not limited to tourists. Fishermen, charcoal traders and local farmers who use roads passing through the conservation area face daily risks. Boda-boda riders are particularly vulnerable because they travel exposed and often at night.
Residents of villages bordering the park say elephants sometimes remain near roads for hours, especially after rain when roadside vegetation becomes greener.
Ms Jesca Adegi, who frequently enters the park to collect firewood and grass for thatching, said: ‘When you meet them, you must stop very far away. Young people like taking photos and videos on their phones. That is very dangerous because once an elephant starts charging, your chances of survival are minimal.’
Others want UWA to install solar-powered alert systems that can warn drivers when large animals are near road crossings.
Tour operators are also calling for stricter enforcement against reckless driving within the park.
Experts warn that the problem could intensify as climate change and human activity continue to alter animal movement patterns. During prolonged dry spells, elephants travel longer distances in search of water and grazing areas, bringing them closer to human activity and transport routes.
Despite the risks, many Ugandans living around the park still value elephants as part of their heritage and tourism economy. However, they say coexistence will only work if authorities prioritise road safety and public awareness.
What the law says
The Wildlife Act, 2019 provides for offences related to wildlife conservation areas.
Section 59 on accidental killing of a wild animal states that where a person kills a wild animal through accident or error, he or she shall, as soon as practicable, report the incident to an authorised officer and, where possible, hand over the carcass or part of it as directed.
Subsection (1) does not apply to a person entitled under a wildlife-use right or permit issued under the Act to hunt a protected or wild animal of that species under the circumstances in which it was killed.
A person who contravenes the section commits an offence.
Any compensation?
Under the Act, compensation may be awarded where a person is killed, suffers bodily injury, or sustains property damage due to a wild animal listed in the Third Schedule.
However, compensation is not automatic. A formal and verified claim must be submitted to the Wildlife Compensation Verification Committee.
But every day, as darkness falls across the vast savannah and elephant silhouettes emerge from the bush, one mistake on these roads can mean the difference between survival and tragedy.