At about 12:15 am on 22 October 2025, two buses met head-on on the Kampala–Gulu Highway in northern Uganda. Police have since confirmed that 46 people died. Several others were hurt.
The crash happened at Kitaleba Village, close to Asili Farm, and drew in four vehicles altogether.
How it unfolded
Early police inquiries point to two overtaking manoeuvres that went wrong at the same moment. An Isuzu bus operated by Nile Star Coaches, registration UBF 614X, was heading from Kampala towards Gulu when its driver pulled out to pass a Tata lorry, UBK 647C. Coming the other way, a second Isuzu bus, UAM 045V, was in the middle of passing a Toyota Surf, CGO 5132AB 07.
The buses ran straight into each other. One driver tried to swerve. That only turned a frontal collision into a frontal and side-on one, and the vehicles around them lost control and rolled over several times.
The count, and the aftermath
The death toll was reported differently in the first hours. Authorities explained that responders had mistaken some unconscious victims for dead, which inflated the early numbers. Police settled on 46.
The injured were rushed to Kiryandongo Hospital and other clinics nearby. The dead were taken to the hospital mortuary, where post-mortem examinations and identification were to follow.
President Yoweri Museveni sent condolences to the families of the dead. He also told the State House Comptroller to pay Shs 5 million to every bereaved family and Shs 1 million to each injured person.
Traffic Police spokesperson SP Kananura Michael said officers were working with health and emergency teams so that the figures given to the public would be accurate, and that more details would be released as they came in.
Sources
Sources
- President Museveni Mourns Victims of Kampala–Gulu Highway Crash…
- 46 COMFIRMED DEAD IN FATAL ROAD CRASH ALONG …
