The Ugandan Ministry of Works and Transport has suspended the operations of Jaguar Bus Company for 10 days, following a tragic road accident that claimed eight lives on September 1. The announcement, made on September 12, comes after a thorough investigation into the crash which occurred when a Jaguar bus collided head-on with a Fuso truck along Masaka Road. Preliminary investigations reveal that the driver of the bus was overtaking in a prohibited area which led to the deadly collision. Uganda’s State Minister for Transport, Fred Byamukama, expressed deep concern over the incident. Early this month, three Rwandans were among the eight people killed in a tragic road accident involving a Jaguar bus traveling from Kampala to Kigali. In August last year, two Rwandans died while 24 were injured in a Jaguar bus accident that occurred along Kajumiro Maddu-Ssembabule road in Gomba District, in Uganda. ALSO READ: Victims of Kampala-Kigali bus accident repatriated “Initial findings show that the Jaguar bus driver was overtaking at a dangerous spot, resulting in this fatal accident. We have decided to suspend the company’s operations for 10 days. Any Jaguar bus seen on the road after 6 am on Friday will be confiscated,” Byamukama stated. During the suspension, the ministry mandated that Jaguar Bus Company meet several conditions before they can be considered for a return to operations. These include presenting credentials of all their drivers for verification, providing all their vehicles for thorough inspection, and submitting proof of refresher training for their drivers as required by law. “The company must comply with these directives within 10 days. Once their submissions are reviewed, we will decide on whether or not to allow Jaguar buses back on the road,” Byamukama added. Since the crash, police have been searching for the Jaguar bus driver responsible for the accident. He finally appeared at the Ministry of Transport on Wednesday, September 11 with a wounded arm, reportedly pleading for leniency on behalf of the company. Byamukama criticised the situation, expressing frustration with the lack of urgency in holding the driver accountable. “This shows that some companies are beginning to normalise such tragedies. Even the police seemed slow in arresting the driver, despite having been searching for him since the incident,” Byamukama said. With the rising number of accidents on Uganda’s roads, Byamukama reiterated that transport companies must prioritise the safety of their passengers and adhere to road regulations to prevent further tragedies. This recent tragic accident repeats a similar incident from 2023, in which two Rwandans lost their lives and 24 others were injured in a Jaguar bus crash in Uganda. The 2023 accident occurred on the Kajumiro Maddu-Ssembabule road in Gomba District. The bus, bearing registration number UBF 736G Isuzu, was en route from Rwanda to Uganda when it crashed in the early hours of Sunday, August 13, 2023, at approximately 5:12 a.m.
