The Government is introducing new safety measures for vehicles used to transport learners on school trips and other educational activities following the deadly crash that claimed the lives of 24 pupils of King David Junior School.
Under the proposed guidelines, all vehicles used to transport learners in large numbers will be required to have a uniform colour to make them easily recognisable as school buses or vans. The measure is intended to improve visibility and make it easier for other road users and authorities to identify vehicles carrying learners.
The new requirements will apply to vehicles used by kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, as well as universities.
The Minister of State for Transport, Julius Maganda Wandera, said drivers of vehicles transporting learners will also be required to obtain special government identification badges and undergo clearance before they are allowed to operate.
He said the vehicles will have to undergo a thorough mechanical inspection before any school trip begins. The inspection will be conducted by the Ministry of Works and Transport, while schools outside Kampala will have their vehicles inspected by regional motor vehicle inspection units.
Traffic Police will also be involved in the clearance process and will issue a stamp or sticker confirming that a vehicle has been inspected and is considered safe to transport learners.
“The Government will be moving to strictly enforce the global standards for vehicles that will be holding a licence or owned by schools. Such vehicles will have a universal and global colour, which will be easily identical such that when someone views the vehicle from far, they can identify it as a school bus or van,” Maganda said.
The Ministry of Works and Transport, working with the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, will be responsible for enforcing the new transport requirements.
The measures were announced during a joint press conference at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala attended by Maganda, ICT Minister Kasule Lumumba, Education Minister Chrysostom Muyingo and State Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Dr Mercy Faith Lakisa.
The announcement follows the Thursday night crash at Kaserem along the Kapchorwa-Mbale Road, in which 24 pupils of King David Junior School were killed.
Education Minister Muyingo said the Ministry of Education and Sports had previously issued guidelines on the safe conduct of co-curricular activities, including school tours and educational trips, through a circular dated May 16, 2025.
However, following the latest tragedy, the Government has suspended all school study trips and tours indefinitely.
Muyingo said he will establish an inter-ministerial task force to develop comprehensive regulations governing school trips and tours, with a particular focus on protecting learners.
The task force is also expected to develop additional requirements for licensing vehicles used to transport learners. The new rules will complement the existing guidelines and will be enforced by the relevant government agencies once finalised.
