In a precautionary measure, Nile Star, a prominent passenger bus company operating from Kampala to the West Nile Sub-region, has suspended its transport services for two days, effective November 6 and hopes to resume on Sunday this week.
The decision comes in the wake of a series of road crashes, including one that occurred on Wednesday (November 5, 2025) near Karuma when the driver attempted to dodge a boda boda cyclist and today (November 6) around Wobulenzi and Lodonga area respectively.
According to the bus company’s operations manager, Mr Mimi Hamid, the suspension is aimed at restructuring and engaging the company drivers, Ministry of Works officials, and holding prayers for the company and its customers.
“The management and board sat down and thought of having prayers and sit with our drivers, conductors, turn men and other crew who move in the bus. So, we are suspending our transport services for two days; that is, on Friday and Saturday and will resume on Sunday,” he said.
The commissioner of traffic and transport is one of the key stakeholders expected to talk to.
“You know what happened in Kiryandongo. What first came into the news was that 63 people died but what is on the ground is only 42 people who died in all four vehicles which were involved in the accident. We are doing this to make the public be aware of what is happening,” he said.
The recent crashes involving the bus company’s vehicles have raised concerns about road safety for passengers plying between Kampala and the West Nile Sub-region.
One of the company buses on Wednesday flipped as the driver attempted to dodge a boda boda cyclist. Some passengers sustained minor injuries, according to police.
This happened two weeks after the October 22 crash involving one of the company’s buses left over 40 people dead and several injured on the busy Kampala-Gulu highway.
The morning crash at Asili farm in Kitaleba village in Kiryandongo District involved two buses of different transport companies, a lorry truck and a Toyota Land Cruiser.
“For the company to come out and suspend its operations is something good because they are not waiting for the ministry to do that. They are doing it themselves to sort out a few things that might have been a problem because others would wait for the regulators to come in and suspend their operations. So, they have done something good and let them now sort out themselves and see what to put right to ensure that the people they transport and the vehicles are safe on the road,” said Mr Allan Sempebwa, a senior communication officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport.
The Public Relations Officer, Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, SP Michael Kananura said most crashes in the country have been due to reckless driving.
“According to police statistics, most of these crashes have occurred due to reckless driving like speeding which is avoidable,” he said.
According to the 2024 police report, Uganda recorded 25,107 road crashes, a 6.4 percent increase from the previous year, 2023, resulting in 25,808 casualties. Fatalities rose by 7 percent to 5,144, while serious injuries increased by 1.7 percent to 17,013, and minor injuries grew by 14.6 percent to 3,651. The most frequent crashes occurred on weekends and during the evening rush hour, with collisions involving pedestrians, rear-end, and side-swipe incidents being most common.