Two school bus drivers have been arrested and detained by Police at Kampala Central Police Station (CPS) for dangerously overloading buses transporting pupils of St. Kizito Primary School to a school tour.
According to Traffic and Road Safety Police spokesperson SP Michael Kananura, the two buses were intercepted on Friday during a traffic enforcement operation at the Golf Course in Kampala.
Kananura identified the suspects as Kimbugwe Alia, the driver of bus registration UA 092AS, who was found carrying 110 pupils, and Mutesasira Abubakari, the driver of bus registration UAN 619X, who was transporting 97 pupils.
“Police CPS has arrested and detained two school bus drivers for dangerously overloading buses transporting pupils of St. Kizito Primary School to a tour. The drivers have since been charged with the relevant traffic offences and are currently detained at Kampala CPS pending appearance before court,” Kananura said.
He added that Police is working closely with the school management to ensure the pupils are safely transported to their destination using appropriate means of transport.
Kananura further revealed that Police, together with other key stakeholders, is finalising guidelines aimed at improving the safety of school transportation in a bid to reduce the growing number of road crashes involving school children.
“The guidelines will be communicated in due course once the consultative process is concluded,” he said.
The arrests come amid heightened enforcement of road safety regulations following a series of fatal road crashes involving school buses across the country.
