Police impound 31 buses, warn operators over road safety violations
Kananura said the crackdown is aimed at enforcing compliance with road safety regulations and ensuring that public transport operators adhere to requirements set by the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Traffic Police spokesperson Michael Kananura. (File)
________________
The Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety has intensified enforcement operations against public service vehicle operators following a rise in road crashes involving buses, with 51 buses impounded in the past week over multiple violations.
Traffic Police spokesperson Michael Kananura said the crackdown is aimed at enforcing compliance with road safety regulations and ensuring that public transport operators adhere to requirements set by the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Addressing journalists at Police Headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, on Monday, August 3, 2026, Kananura said the intercepted buses were found with various offences, including failure to comply with approved road charts and lack of mandatory documentation.
“During the past one week, we intercepted and impounded 51 buses at various highway checkpoints across the country. Of these, 41 were found to have violations related to approved road charts, while 10 lacked mandatory requirements,” Kananura said.
He said among the vehicles that lacked the required documents, two drivers did not have valid driving licences, three lacked badges issued by the Ministry of Works and Transport, while five buses did not have the required driver photographs displayed in the vehicles.
Kananura said most of the drivers have since been taken to court and charged accordingly.
He defended the enforcement of road charts, saying the measures are not intended to inconvenience passengers or transport operators, but are critical tools in preventing road crashes.
“We have received concerns from some members of the public, who view road chart enforcement as an inconvenience. We want to clarify that road charts are a road safety measure prescribed by the Ministry of Works and Transport,” he said.
According to Kananura, road charts help regulate return journeys, prevent drivers from making unauthorised extra trips, manage driver fatigue and discourage speeding.
He explained that fatigue remains one of the major contributors to road crashes, especially among drivers covering long distances without adequate rest.
Kananura added that road charts also help police to identify cases of speeding by comparing the scheduled travel time with the actual arrival time of buses.
“If a bus is expected to travel from Kampala to Gulu in five hours but arrives much earlier, it becomes clear that the driver may have been speeding,” Kananura said.
He said regulating bus movement also prevents unnecessary competition among operators who sometimes race on highways while attempting to pick more passengers.
“Some buses leave at the same time and compete for passengers on the road. One driver overtakes another while passengers are being picked along the way. Road charts help regulate this behaviour,” he said.
Kananura warned that any driver found operating a public service vehicle in violation of safety requirements would face prosecution, adding that traffic officers who allow non-compliant buses to pass checkpoints without action would also be held accountable.
The Traffic Police spokesperson praised members of the public for increasingly reporting dangerous driving and unsafe transport practices, saying public cooperation has helped prevent possible tragedies.
One of the cases involved a driver intercepted in Kabarole District on July 3, 2026, after a whistleblower alerted police that he was transporting 36 pupils in unsafe conditions.
Kananura said traffic officers responded to the alert and intercepted the vehicle, registration number UA 915BT, before arresting the driver. The driver was later charged and remanded.
He said the teacher who accompanied the pupils and school administrators were also summoned, recorded statements and are facing possible legal action.
“The driver admitted that he picked up the children after finding them stranded at a roadside stop after their original transport developed mechanical problems. However, this does not excuse putting children at risk,” Kananura said.
He warned that schools and teachers would also be held responsible whenever they expose learners to dangerous transport arrangements.
The vehicle, which was transporting learners from Kisozi Boarding Primary School and Kawula Primary School, was intercepted after a member of the public alerted police.
Kananura said the pupils were safely removed and returned to their respective schools using appropriate transport.
“The driver was detained while the headteachers of the schools were summoned, recorded statements and were detained. They are expected to appear before court to answer charges arising from this incident,” he said.
In Jinja, police also intercepted a driver at the New Nile Bridge traffic checkpoint, who was carrying 28 pupils from Golden Soccer Academy under unsafe conditions while travelling to Buikwe for a football tournament.
The driver, Wahab Mubiru and the team’s coach were arrested and are expected to appear before court.
Kananura said several similar cases have been handled after members of the public alerted police about dangerous driving, overloaded vehicles and other traffic violations.
He urged passengers not to remain silent when they notice unsafe practices in public transport vehicles.
“Some passengers fear reporting because they think they will be inconvenienced. We encourage them to speak out. It is better to be removed from an unsafe vehicle than keep quiet and risk your life or the lives of other passengers,” he said.
Kananura said the partnership between traffic police and the public has become an important part of improving road safety and reducing preventable deaths on Uganda’s roads.
He encouraged motorists, transport operators and passengers to embrace road safety as a shared responsibility.
The operations come in the wake of multiple accidents involving learners in the past one month, with the most grave one having occured in Kapchorwa, leaving 23 learners of Kind David primary school dead together with the school director. The several accidents prompted government to suspend all school trips and tours on July 17.