KAMPALA — The deaths of 20 pupils and one adult in Friday's school bus crash in Kapchorwa have reignited calls for Uganda to fast-track the implementation of smart traffic enforcement, with commercial drivers and road safety experts arguing that technology-driven enforcement could help curb reckless driving before it turns fatal.
The Isuzu bus belonging to King David Junior School in Ndejje was returning from an educational tour to Sipi Falls when it reportedly lost control, crashed into a roadside boulder and overturned, killing 21 people and injuring dozens of others.
The tragedy came only hours before another school bus carrying students from Nalango Secondary School collided with a sugarcane truck along the Jinja–Kamuli highway, leaving several students injured.
The twin accidents have renewed calls for government to accelerate the rollout of the Express Penalty System (EPS), an automated traffic enforcement programme that uses roadside cameras and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to detect speeding and other traffic violations without requiring police officers to stop motorists.
Timothy Agaba, a bus driver operating on the Kanungu route, said automated enforcement would improve compliance with traffic laws.
"The EPS system would help reduce traffic offences and instil discipline among drivers because everyone would know that violations cannot go unnoticed," Agaba said.
"Government needs to act fast because the situation is getting out of hand."
Peter Chekwech, a taxi driver on the Kapchorwa route, believes the technology would discourage dangerous driving habits.
"EPS would come at the right time because many drivers would fear the fines. It would reduce recklessness and the impunity we see on our roads today," he said.
For long-distance bus driver Deus Okello, who plies the Gulu route, automated enforcement offers an opportunity to identify habitual traffic offenders before they cause catastrophic crashes.
"EPS helps in detecting poor drivers early enough. It's a preventive way of addressing accidents instead of waiting until lives have already been lost," Okello said.
The renewed calls come as Uganda continues to grapple with worsening road safety statistics.
According to the Uganda Police Annual Crime Report 2025, the country recorded 26,044 road crashes, representing a 3.7 percent increase from the previous year. Fatal crashes rose to 4,602, while speeding and careless overtaking remained the leading causes of crashes, accounting for more than 40 percent of all reported accidents.
Road safety specialist Albinius Twesigomwe said automated enforcement should be accompanied by stronger vehicle inspection systems to improve the roadworthiness of passenger service vehicles.
He recommended that buses and taxis transporting large numbers of passengers undergo mandatory roadworthiness inspections every 90 days, with inspections provided free of charge or heavily subsidised to encourage compliance.
"Preventive inspections are far less costly than the human and economic consequences of fatal road crashes," Twesigomwe said.
The renewed push for EPS comes weeks after stakeholders endorsed reforms to Uganda's traffic enforcement regime, including reducing speeding fines to a flat Shs160,000, extending the payment period from 72 hours to 28 days, introducing an independent appeals mechanism for motorists, and limiting the 30km/h speed limit to schools, hospitals, markets, places of worship and other high-risk areas.
The proposed reforms are awaiting Cabinet consideration.
A similar debate has emerged elsewhere in the region. In Namibia this month, a senior traffic law enforcement official argued that lower, more realistic traffic fines would encourage greater compliance than punitive penalties that many motorists struggle to pay.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education suspended all school educational trips following the Kapchorwa tragedy, as the ministries of Education, Works and Transport, and Internal Affairs review additional safety measures for school transport.
Road safety advocates say automated enforcement alone will not eliminate road crashes. However, they argue that combining the Express Penalty System with mandatory vehicle inspections, functioning speed governors, stricter driver licensing standards and continuous driver education would significantly reduce Uganda's persistently high road death toll.
