Victoria University Vice Chancellor Dr. Lawrence Muganga has called for stricter enforcement of school transport regulations, arguing that guidelines alone will not stop the growing number of road accidents involving school-going children.
Muganga said while the government has introduced policies aimed at improving child safety, weak enforcement continues to put thousands of learners at risk.
“It is true and very necessary that these guidelines exist, and I support the Ministry of Education and Sports on that. But enforcement is important. You cannot simply declare policies and guidelines without ensuring they are implemented,” he said.
According to him, authorities must move beyond issuing directives and begin taking action against individuals and institutions that fail to comply with school transport requirements.
“There should be a team enforcing these guidelines to make sure they are implemented. Where they are not implemented, we should be able to bite. If we do not bite, then we are going to continue seeing such accidents,” Muganga said.
He condemned reckless transport operators who handle children carelessly, comparing some practices to transporting cargo rather than human lives.
“It is not acceptable for someone to drive other people’s children as if they are driving luggage. These are our children. These are Ugandans that this country will depend on in the next few years,” he said.
Muganga also urged authorities, including the Ministry of Works, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), and local governments, to improve road infrastructure around schools and residential areas.
He proposed lower speed limits in school zones, installation of speed humps, and other traffic-calming measures to protect children.
“We have seen this in other countries where motorists cannot exceed 20 or 30 kilometres per hour in certain areas. We need such safety measures in places where children are likely to cross roads,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor further suggested expanding safer transport options for learners, including school buses and carpooling systems, which could reduce reliance on boda bodas.
“Maybe the government can subsidise safer school transport so that more children can travel in secure vehicles. It may be expensive, but preserving young lives is worth the investment,” he said.
Muganga warned that every child lost in a road crash represents a loss not only to a family but also to the entire nation.
“When one child dies, the loss is for all of us. The country has lost that child. The neighbour has lost that child. We do not know what that child would have become or contributed to Uganda,” he said.
He called on parents, schools, transport operators, and government agencies to work together to ensure that no child loses their life in preventable road accidents.
“The responsibility of preserving children’s safety belongs to all of us. If we fail to do that, then we have let them down and we have let the country down,” Muganga said.
