Over 30 Kenyans Injured in Uganda Bus Crash After Namugongo Pilgrimage

Over 30 Kenyans are currently hospitalised in neighbouring Uganda following a road accident involving the bus they were travelling in.

The Kenyans were returning from Uganda's Namugongo Martyrs Day celebrations when their bus lost control and overturned on Wednesday, June 4.

According to the Nile Post, the incident occurred at the UCI Cell in Osukuru Town Council near the Uganda-Kenya border. The bus, belonging to Kasima Mixed Secondary School, had 51 passengers on board when it overturned.

The injured are receiving treatment at Tororo General Hospital in Uganda as investigations into the crash continue.

Eyewitnesses at the scene recounted that the bus was attempting to avoid a speeding truck when the crash happened.

"Both the bus and the truck were coming from Jinja heading toward Tororo," said one witness. "The truck was moving very fast. As the bus driver tried to give way, it veered off the road and overturned."

Charles Theuri, the bus driver who sustained minor injuries, said they had left Namugongo Martyrs Shrine at 4am and were nearing the border when the accident occurred.

I had been driving cautiously since we left the Martyrs Day celebrations. But as we approached this point, a truck sped from behind and clipped us as I was trying to give way due to the narrow road. The impact forced us off the road," Theuri explained.

Authorities confirmed that 35 passengers were injured, with conditions ranging from minor to critical injuries. Emergency services responded swiftly, ferrying the victims to Tororo General Hospital.

"We are working to establish the full cause of the accident and are actively tracing the truck driver and the vehicle involved," Tororo District Traffic Officer Aisat Nandutu said while confirming the incident. 

The incident came less than a day after a bombing incident where two people lost their lives following a thwarted bomb incident in the country.

A woman released from military custody in 2023 was later confirmed to be the suicide bomber aiming to attack faithfuls attending the Martyrs Day Celebrations, according to the Ugandan military.

The woman, whom we will only identify as Katushabe, was previously nabbed by Ugandan security forces in October of 2023 over alleged ties to the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group affiliated with the Islamic State.

In May 2019, four Kenyan pilgrims lost their lives after being knocked down by a 14-seater matatu along the Iganga-Jinja highway in Uganda.