By Tolit Ivan & Norbert Mao
Five confirmed dead and 11 injured after a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck in Kiryandongo District.
The accident involved a Mega Bus Vo Ltd bus and a Sino truck, and occurred at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday at California Village along the highway.
The bus was traveling from Gulu City to Kampala when it collided with the truck.
Reliable sources indicate that the deceased include the bus conductor and a toddler.
A staff member of Mega Bus, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the bus had departed Gulu City at midnight with 53 passengers on board.
According to preliminary reports, the bus driver, identified as Kilama, fled the scene after the crash and remains at large.
Police in Kiryandongo District have so far identified only one of the five people who died in the accident. The identified victim is Mary Begumisa, 62, a resident of Isingiro District, whose body has already been claimed by relatives.
The other four victims—three adult males and one female juvenile—remain unidentified and unclaimed. Five people died instantly in the crash, while 12 others sustained serious injuries.
The injured victims have been identified as Michael Omony, 37; Lilian Akello, 28; Teddy Agwang, 28; Florence Ajok, 43; Janet Awidi, 30; Vivian Mercy Atoyo, 18; James Kilama, 66; Florence Namwanje, 32; Sarah Christine Tyoka; Kennedy Mungudit; and Withroad Odong, 23, all residents of Gulu City, and Salima Akili from Pader District.
Available information indicates that the Sino truck had developed a mechanical problem and had been parked by the roadside when the bus rammed into it, killing five people on the spot.
Police quickly responded to the scene and evacuated the injured victims to Kiryandongo Hospital for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were conveyed to the hospital mortuary.
The Kiryandongo District Police Commander, Stephen Ojok, says most of the injured and those who died in the accident are business people who were travelling from Gulu to Kampala.
In October 2025, at least 46 people were killed while 67 others were injured in another fatal accident along the same Gulu–Kampala highway in Kiryandongo District. The accident occurred near Asilli’s Farm in Kataleba Village, Kiryandongo Sub-county, involving four vehicles: a Nile Star Coaches Isuzu bus (UBF 614X) travelling from Kampala to Arua, a Planet Company Isuzu bus (UAM 045V) heading in the opposite direction, a Tata lorry (UBK 647C), and a Toyota Surf (CGO 5132AB 07).
Reports indicated that the Nile Star bus attempted to overtake the Tata lorry at the same time the Planet bus was overtaking the Toyota Surf coming from the opposite direction. The two buses collided head-on, causing a chain reaction that left the other vehicles overturned and crashing along the roadside.
