The government has proposed sweeping reforms to bolster the safety of school transport, including mandatory specialised certification for drivers, stricter vehicle inspections, and the expanded deployment of speed cameras, following a wave of fatal crashes involving learners.
The proposals were unveiled on Thursday during a multi-stakeholder workshop organised by the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS) Uganda in partnership with the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Uganda Professional Drivers’ Network, the Traffic Police Directorate, and other key players.
Held under the theme “Safe Tours for a Safe Future: Making School Travel Safe Again,” the meeting focused on strengthening enforcement, raising transport standards, and curbing road crashes involving school children.
Addressing participants, the Commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety and Chief Licensing Officer of Motor Vehicles at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Mr Winstone Katushabe, warned that unsafe vehicles and poor driving habits continue to put young lives at risk.
“Unroadworthy vehicles, overcrowding, and the lack of basic safety features continue to put school children at risk on Uganda’s roads. Safer school transport can no longer wait,” Mr Katushabe cautioned.
He emphasized that drivers entrusted with transporting learners must be held to far higher standards than those required for an ordinary driving permit.
“School transport drivers should undergo specialised certification, defensive driving training, and regular background checks before being entrusted with learners’ lives,” he noted.
Mr Katushabe cited speeding, reckless overtaking, distracted driving, and unqualified operators as primary drivers of crashes involving school transport. To mitigate these risks, he called for safer infrastructure around educational facilities, including designated pick-up and drop-off bays, pedestrian crossings, speed humps, and strict enforcement of a 30km/h speed limit in school zones.
To enforce compliance, the government plans to leverage advanced technology.
“Smart enforcement using speed cameras and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology will help identify traffic offenders and improve compliance around school transport,” Mr Katushabe explained, adding that protecting learners demands a joint effort from schools, parents, transport operators, drivers, and law enforcement agencies.
The proposed interventions come as Uganda battles a severe road safety crisis. Government data reveals that the country records over 25,000 road crashes annually, resulting in roughly 25,800 casualties and between 5,000 and 6,000 deaths-translating to roughly 14 road fatalities every day.
Public outrage over learner safety reached a boiling point last month after 20 pupils and an adult lost their lives in a tragic crash involving a vehicle transporting children from King David Junior School in Kapchorwa. Several other pupils sustained serious injuries.
In response, police have launched countrywide operations targeting vehicles carrying school children beyond their licensed passenger capacity.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education and Sports revealed that schools have been instructed to implement immediate safety guidelines under the Basic Requirements and Minimum Standards for Educational Institutions.
Ministry spokesperson Mr Denis Mugimba stated that all vehicles transporting learners must hold a valid Private Motor Omnibus (PMO) licence accompanied by Inspection of Vehicles (IOV) certification. He added that school vehicles must be fully roadworthy, and drivers must possess the precise class of permit required for the vehicles they operate.
Mr Mugimba also reiterated the government’s decision to suspend all school study trips and educational tours until further notice while broader consultations and long-term preventive measures are finalized.
Traffic Police spokesperson Mr Michael Kananura confirmed that enforcement operations will be intensified to target violations affecting school transport, focusing heavily on route compliance, speeding, overloading, and smart technology integration.
He added that expanded use of the Express Penalty System (EPS) will enforce greater accountability among motorists.
Highlighting the technological aspect, Mr Steven Turyarugayo, the Public Relations Consultant for the ITMS project, explained that artificial intelligence embedded within the EPS will play a critical role in tracking traffic offenders.
“Through our AI-powered technology, EPS can support improved vehicle identification, monitoring, and enforcement while providing relevant authorities with better tools to promote compliance and accountability. We believe the Express Penalty System will help bring about behavioural change on our roads for the safety of school-going children,” Mr Turyarugayo said.