Truck Crash Kills 14 in Lwera Swamp on Kampala–Masaka Highway

Overview

• Greater Masaka Regional Police said the late Monday collision involved a Toyota Hiace taxi and a sand-carrying Sino truck and left 14 taxi passengers dead while four people from both vehicles were taken to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital for treatment.
• Police have documented the scene, opened an investigation into the cause of the crash, and are trying to trace a truck driver who fled the scene, the regional police spokesperson said.
• The Lwera Swamp disaster follows two other deadly July crashes, including a July 17 school bus overturn in Kapchorwa that killed 21 and a July 7 head-on crash at Bobi Trading Centre that killed 14, marking a short-term cluster of high-fatality incidents.
• Coverage and police statements point to recurring safety failures as contributing factors in recent crashes, naming mechanical problems, poorly maintained vehicles, excess speed, and hazardous road stretches as common causes.
• Uganda recorded 26,044 road crashes and 4,602 fatalities in 2025, and officials have already suspended school trips and face growing pressure to tighten vehicle inspections and driver accountability as hospitals cope with rising numbers of crash survivors.