One Dead, 17 Gulu SS Students Injured in Kiryandongo Highway Crash

A turn-man has died while 17 students and teachers from Gulu Secondary School are nursing injuries following an early morning road crash in Kiryandongo District along the Gulu-Kampala Highway. The accident happened at around 5:30 am on Thursday at Kigumba Town and involved an Isuzu school bus registration number UAX 944N belonging to Gulu Secondary School and a stationary Mitsubishi Fuso truck registration number UAU 856A.

According to Albertine North and South Regional Police spokesperson Julius Allan Hakiza, the school bus was transporting students to Jinja for a school tour when the driver attempted to overtake another vehicle but reportedly experienced brake failure before crashing into the parked truck. Hakiza said the bus collided with the Mitsubishi Fuso truck, which had been parked off the road.

During the crash, Walter Komakech, 50, a resident of Gulu City and turn-man of the stationary truck, died on the spot. Police said 17 students and teachers sustained injuries, including two who were critically injured. 

 All the injured were rushed to Kiryandongo General Hospital for treatment, while the body of the deceased was taken to the hospital mortuary pending postmortem examination. Police said the school bus has since been towed to Kiryandongo Police Station pending inspection by the Inspector of Vehicles.

The driver of the school bus has been detained to assist with investigations, while the driver of the Mitsubishi Fuso truck is reportedly on the run. Hakiza urged transport operators and schools to prioritize vehicle inspections before undertaking long journeys. He said, “We appeal to all school administrators and bus operators to conduct thorough mechanical inspections of vehicles before embarking on long journeys. Motorists are further reminded to park vehicles completely off-road and to place adequate warning signs when stationary, especially at night and in trading centres.”

The latest crash adds to a growing number of fatal accidents along the Kampala-Gulu highway. In March this year, five people died, and 11 others were injured in another bus crash at California Village in Bweyale Town Council involving a Mega Executive bus and a stationary Sino truck. In October 2025, at least 46 people were killed and 56 others injured in a major accident near Asili Farm in Kataleba Village, a few kilometres from Kiryandongo Town along the same highway.