11-year-old girl dies in Kampala taxi, Police say tracing relatives

KAMPALA - The Police in Kampala city say they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of an 11-year-old female juvenile.

Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) spokesperson Racheal Kawala says the incident happened on December 23, 2025, at approximately 9:00 am at the Old Taxi Park, Tororo Stage in Kampala Central division.

"Preliminary investigations indicate that on December, 22, 2025, at about 4:30pm, the driver of motor vehicle registration number UBM 696P, a Toyota Hiace (commonly known as a Drone), identified as Bosco Kalulu, was loading passengers in Tororo district, when a guide only known as Asuman brought to him a girl aged approximately 11 years, who was allegedly travelling to Walusubi in Mukono district," Kawala said in a statement. 

She revealed that the driver was provided with two telephone contacts of the person who was to receive the child upon arrival. 

"However, upon reaching Walusubi at about 12:30am, the driver attempted to contact both numbers; but, one phone was switched off, while the other was answered by a person who stated that it was a wrong number," she stated. 

Kawala said the driver then decided to proceed with the child to Kampala, with the intention of taking her back to Tororo should the contacts remain unreachable. 

"The deceased spent the night inside motor vehicle UBM 696P. In the morning, after the vehicle was loaded to return to Tororo and was exiting Old Taxi Park, one of the passengers noticed that the child was motionless," Kawala stated. 

She said police were notified of the incident, and a case of sudden death has since been registered. The body has been conveyed to Kampla Capital City Authority (KCCA) City Mortuary for postmortem examination.

"It has been established that the deceased was not in the company of any known relative. A search of her belongings revealed a piece of paper containing two telephone numbers. A yellow T-shirt bearing the badge of St Anthony Parents Mukono, with the name “Kiiza” written on it, was also recovered," She stated. 

She said efforts are ongoing to identify the deceased and trace her relatives.

"We would like to advise parents and guardians to ensure that children travel in the company of a responsible adult or are appropriately supervised at all times for their safety," Kawala warned.