Nile Star Suspends Bus Services Following Series of Deadly Accidents

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1556 EAT on Friday 7 November 2025

Nile Trade Link Services, the company behind Nile Star Buses, has announced the suspension of all passenger transport operations following a series of fatal accidents involving its fleet within the past month.

In a public notice issued on Thursday, the company stated that the suspension would take immediate effect to allow for a comprehensive review and restructuring of its operations.

“To our valued customers and the general public, we wish to inform you that Nile Trade Link Limited has temporarily suspended all passenger transport services, effective November 6, 2025,” the statement read.

The decision comes in the wake of three serious accidents involving Nile Star buses within a matter of weeks. On October 5, 2025, a Nile Star bus traveling from Kampala to Yumbe collided head-on with a Platinum Bus in Kiryandongo district, resulting in the deaths of 43 people across the two buses, a truck, and a Congolese-registered private vehicle.

On Wednesday evening, another Nile Star bus, en route from Kampala to Arua, veered off the road and overturned in Kololo village, Kiryandongo district, after the driver reportedly swerved to avoid a motorcycle. Several passengers sustained critical injuries.

Less than 24 hours later, on Thursday morning, an executive Nile Star bus traveling from Arua to Kampala knocked down a motorcycle and its passenger in Wobulenzi town, leaving both victims critically injured.

The string of accidents has sparked widespread public outrage and concern, with increasing calls for stricter regulation and enforcement of road safety standards within Uganda’s long-distance transport sector.

In Arua city, many residents and regular passengers welcomed the suspension, calling it long overdue. “Nile Star should take ample time to review its operations before resuming,” said Vincent Akuma, a businessman and frequent customer of the service who lost a colleague in last month’s crash. “This is a busy period, but people’s lives must come first.”

Transport analysts suggest that the suspension could mark a turning point for the Ugandan transport industry, which has long faced concerns about reckless driving, driver fatigue, and poor vehicle maintenance.

Authorities from the Ministry of Works and Transport have not yet commented on Nile Star’s decision. However, police reports indicate that investigations into all three incidents are still ongoing.

Source: The Observer

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