UIPE, the umbrella body for professional engineers, said the investigation should not only focus on assigning blame but also assess whether infrastructure design, railway operations and safety measures contributed to the tragedy.
The call follows the July 10 collision at the Namumira railway crossing along Katosi Road in Mukono Municipality, where a commuter passenger train travelling from Mukono to Kampala rammed into a Friendship Company bus carrying Mwebaza High School students to Jinja for an educational trip.
One female teacher died on the spot, while dozens of students sustained injuries and were rushed to nearby health facilities.
Preliminary government findings attributed the crash to alleged reckless driving by the bus driver. State Minister for Transport Fred Byamukama said the driver allegedly ignored railway crossing signs and warnings from a railway steward before attempting to cross the tracks.
Some students who survived the crash also reportedly said the driver was speeding and appeared fatigued before the collision.
However, Parliament has since directed its Committee on Physical Infrastructure to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.
On Thursday, UIPE welcomed Parliament’s decision and backed calls for a nationwide safety audit of railway crossings, improved physical protection and integrated early warning systems.
The engineers’ body said the investigation should be independent, technically competent and based on proper collection and analysis of evidence.
“Preliminary reports have suggested that the bus driver may have failed to comply with traffic instructions at the crossing. This allegation must be properly investigated and should neither be dismissed nor treated as the complete explanation before all the evidence has been examined,” UIPE said.
The institution said investigators should examine several factors, including the design of the crossing, visibility, stopping distances, road approach speeds, warning signs, road markings, signals, barriers, train speed, horn use, lighting, vegetation and other roadside obstructions.
UIPE also wants the probe to establish which institutions were responsible for operating, inspecting and maintaining the crossing, whether previous risk assessments had been conducted, and if earlier accidents or safety concerns had been recorded and addressed.
The engineers argued that modern safety systems should rely on multiple layers of protection rather than depending entirely on human judgment.
“Even where human error is established, a high-risk railway crossing should not depend entirely on a driver seeing or hearing an approaching train at the correct moment. People can become distracted, visibility can be restricted, warning signs can be missed and judgement can fail. Infrastructure should therefore be designed so that one mistake does not automatically become a fatal event,” UIPE said.
The institution recommended a risk-based national audit and classification of all active railway crossings, with high-risk areas fitted with safety measures such as automatic barriers, flashing lights, audible alarms, advance warning signs, road markings, speed-calming measures, adequate lighting and regular vegetation control.
UIPE said Uganda’s efforts to revive passenger and freight railway services must be matched with investments in crossing safety, public awareness and predictable railway operations to restore public confidence in rail transport.
The engineers further called for the establishment of a National Technical Infrastructure Investigation Framework based on engineering forensics to ensure infrastructure accidents are investigated scientifically and lessons translated into corrective action.
“UIPE stands ready to provide professional engineering expertise to Parliament, the Ministry of Works and Transport, Uganda Railways Corporation, Uganda Police Force, Mukono District Local Government Authorities and other responsible institutions. The objective should not merely be to identify whom to blame, but to establish what happened, why the available safety measures did not prevent it, and what must change to ensure that such a tragedy is not repeated,” the institution said.
Following the accident, Uganda Railways Corporation announced plans to install automated railway barriers at heavily congested crossings. The crash has intensified public debate over the safety of unprotected railway crossings, especially as Uganda moves to expand and modernise its railway network.