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At least 21 people, including 20 pupils and one adult, have been confirmed dead following a tragic road crash involving a school bus in Kapchorwa District, the Uganda Police Force has confirmed.

According to a police statement issued today, the fatal accident occurred on Thursday evening at Chekwatit Village, Kimawa Parish, Kawowo Sub-county.

The crash involved an Isuzu bus, registration number UA 108BQ, belonging to King David Junior School, located in Ndejje, Makindye Ssabagabo. Police said the identity of the driver has not yet been established.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the pupils had travelled to Sipi Falls in Kapchorwa District for an educational tour. While returning from the excursion, the driver reportedly lost control of the bus, causing it to veer off the road, crash into a large roadside stone, and overturn.

Police said the devastating crash claimed the lives of 20 pupils and one adult male at the scene. In addition, three adult males and several juveniles sustained injuries.

The injured were rushed to Kaserem Health Centre IV, Kapchorwa General Hospital, and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, where they are receiving medical treatment. Authorities are still working to establish the identities of the survivors.

The bodies of the deceased have been taken to Kapchorwa Mortuary, where they await identification by relatives and postmortem examinations.

Police have launched investigations to determine the exact cause of the accident, with further updates expected as inquiries continue.

The Uganda Police Force expressed its deepest condolences to the bereaved families, the management, staff and learners of King David Junior School, and everyone affected by the tragedy. The Force also wished the injured a speedy and full recovery.

The accident is one of the deadliest school transport crashes recorded in Uganda in recent years and has once again highlighted the importance of strict adherence to road safety measures, particularly during school trips and long-distance travel.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has celebrated the distinguished service of Ms. Margaret Kafeero, the outgoing Head of the Public Diplomacy Department, during a colourful farewell ceremony attended by colleagues, friends, and family.

Ms. Kafeero, who has been praised for her leadership, professionalism, and dedication to advancing Uganda’s image abroad, is set to take up a new diplomatic assignment at the Uganda Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

During the event, the ministry highlighted her key role in strengthening Uganda’s public diplomacy agenda. In her farewell remarks, Ms. Kafeero paid tribute to her team, using the metaphor: “A team is like a jigsaw puzzle, every piece matters.” She credited the dedication and collaboration of her colleagues for the department’s achievements.

Under-Secretary Mr. Stephen Kyaterekera commended Kafeero’s commitment and noted that she leaves behind a strong foundation of excellence for the ministry.

The ceremony featured group photographs, speeches, and light moments as staff shared refreshments, reflecting the spirit of mentorship and teamwork within the foreign service.

This transition comes as Uganda continues to enhance its diplomatic presence across Africa, with Addis Ababa serving as the headquarters of the African Union.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the occasion as a moment to honour public servants who contribute significantly to #UgandaForeignPolicy and #PublicDiplomacy.

Watchdog Uganda will continue to monitor developments in Uganda’s diplomatic corps.

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The country must wait 42 days without a new case before it can be declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) despite the discharge of the last patient from the Ebola Treatment Unit.

Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the Minister of Health, made the revelation while presenting an update on the Ebola Bundibugyo Virus outbreak in Uganda to Parliament on Thursday, 16 July 2026.

“There are no new confirmed cases in the last 21 days, this is the strongest available epidemiological signal that local human-to-human transmission has been interrupted,” said Baryomunsi at the sitting chaired by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth.

He clarified that whereas there are no new registered cases at the treatment unit based at the Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala City, Uganda cannot be declared Ebola-free, according to WHO public health guidelines.

“WHO guidelines require 42 days without a new confirmed case – two full incubation periods – before an outbreak can be declared over. We are now in that critical final stretch and the countdown has started today,” Baryomunsi said.

He said that since the virus was first declared in Uganda on 15 May, 2026, 20 cases were recorded, out of which 15 were imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and two of these died.

“The response system has been fairly effective, even those who died, it is because they presented late. I can safely say we have done fairly well, courtesy of the experience we have gathered over the years,” he said.

Whilst Uganda has recorded success in combating the epidemic, Baryomunsi said that collaborative measures with Congo continue.

“Uganda will support the Congolese government by establishing Ebola treatment centres and President Yoweri Museveni has sanctioned four of them. Subsequently, over 50 specialists have been sent from Uganda to DRC,” said Baryomunsi.

He added that joint surveillance is being conducted and laboratories have been established in border points in Arua and Kasese districts.

“We have intensified awareness campaigns and interventions in border communities including disallowing community markets. Borders with DRC will stay closed and a joint taskforce will meet and find a way forward,” Baryomunsi added.

He also said that government is engaging countries that imposed travel restrictions on Ugandans because of the Ebola virus.

The Shadow Minister of Health, Hon. Sheilah Amaniyo (NUP, Mukono Municipality) said that whereas the Ministry of Health managed to combat the virus, they did not handle the communication well, thereby costing the country its image.

“It was not a local outbreak but due to lack of clarity in public communication, the world was made to believe that the epidemic was worse than it was. The international world believed the country was a hot zone, leading to tourists canceling their visits,” said Amaniyo.

Hon. Julius Rude the Chairperson of the Committee on Health, applauded government’s interventions in fighting the virus.

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This article examines the concept of honesty, which remains a major concern among Uganda’s civil servants. Before I once again thank Hon. Balaam Barugahare and Justine Nameere for exposing corruption in district local governments, let me first clarify my use of the term “civil servants.” Here, it refers to the permanent professional employees of district local governments hired to implement policies, manage public services, and run daily local government operations.

This raises an important question: if civil servants were honest in performing their duties, could Hon. Balaam and Nameere have put them on tenterhooks?

 In his 2018 study, “Combating Political and Bureaucratic Corruption in Uganda,” Wilson Asea argued that corruption is not practiced by outsiders or trespassers. Instead, he observed that corruption is institutionalized within government agencies, where corrupt practices are continuously sustained and reinforced. This explains why the aggressive, direct approach adopted by Hon. Balaam and Nameere is necessary to disrupt corruption within local governments.

Wilson further argued that individuals with good intentions cannot easily dismantle a corrupt system from within. They are often forced to either compromise their integrity and join the corrupt, or look the other way to protect their jobs and even their lives. This disturbing reality prompts a critical question from the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition (KACC) Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis: if Hon. Balaam and Nameere had not intervened, for how long would this deep-seated dishonesty among District local government civil servants have continued to fuel corruption?

Similarly, as Daniel Masumba Walyemera observed in his 2021 PhD thesis, the enforcement of Uganda’s anti-corruption legal regime remains largely ineffective. For this reason, KACC argues that creative and unconventional oversight methods are absolutely necessary to confront the administrative dishonesty associated with corruption.

In conclusion, corruption acts like a virus, systematically attacking every vital organ of the nation. Therefore, it must be confronted from every possible angle through diverse and uncompromising strategies. Only through genuine administrative integrity, effective enforcement, and innovative public oversight can Uganda make meaningful progress in this critical fight against corruption.

Ayub Mukisa, PhD
Executive Director, Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition (KACC)
Email: [email protected]

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Health Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi has overseen the discharge of the last Ebola patient admitted at Mulago National Referral Hospital following the outbreak reported in May.

Uganda recorded 20 cumulative Ebola cases, with 17 recoveries, one patient still admitted in an isolation unit and two deaths.

The Ministry of Health said five cases were locally acquired with four being health workers, while 15 were imported, including cases linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Baryomunsi said the discharge of the last patient does not mean Uganda is yet Ebola-free, as the country must complete a 42-day period without new infections before the outbreak is officially declared over.

He added that Uganda continues to work with the DRC to strengthen surveillance and prevent further spread of the disease.

The DRC has since recorded over 2000 infections and registered 700 deaths..