A wave of grief has engulfed the school sports community following a fatal road accident that claimed the lives of five students from Iki-Iki Senior Secondary School on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
The students were traveling to Kamonkoli Seed Secondary School in Budaka District to take part in the ongoing Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association football competitions when tragedy struck.
The accident occurred at Jami in Kamonkoli Town Council along the Mbale–Tirinya Highway in Mbale. A truck, registration number UAP 443Z, which was transporting the students, reportedly lost control before overturning, leading to the fatal incident.
Several other students sustained injuries and were rushed to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, where they are currently receiving medical attention.
According to reports, the driver of the vehicle has been taken into police custody and is facing charges related to reckless driving, overloading, and operating a vehicle deemed mechanically unfit.
Before the tragic journey, Iki-Iki SS had made a promising start to their campaign in Group D. They secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Grace Comprehensive before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Bugwere High School on the opening day of the tournament. The team was scheduled to play two more fixtures on the second day, including matches against Ngoma Standard and a local derby against Iki-Iki High School.
The 2026 USSSA football games in Budaka are being hosted across multiple venues, including Budaka Moslem Primary Playground, Saza Playground, and Jami Primary Playground.
This heartbreaking incident comes just days after another road tragedy that claimed eight lives of football supporters returning from a Uganda Cup match involving Express FC, raising fresh concerns over road safety during sports travel in Uganda.
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