47 passengers travelling in bus intercepted in Kabale

Intercepted passengers sit on the grass at Kabale police station waiting for a decision on their fate on Thursday. PHOTO BY ROBERT MUHEREZA.

What you need to know:

  • The Kabale health officials who screened the intercepted passengers said that they were all having normal temperature levels, thus no immediate health threat.

  • Some of the passengers claimed that if the bus had not developed mechanical problems, it would have reached the planned destination on time.

The Police in Kabale on Thursday intercepted a bus that was carrying 47 passengers reportedly from Kampala heading to Kisoro.

The police spokesman for Kigezi sub region Mr Elly Maate said that 23 passengers are Congolese nationals while the rest are Ugandans who were travelling in Horizon Bus Reg. No. UAM 896H.

“They told us that they have been doing casual works in Kampala. They and the bus shall remain at Kabale Police Station until our superiors advise on the next course of action,” he said.

The interception comes a few hours after President Museveni announced a ban on public transport in Uganda as one of the measures to curb coronavirus.

The Kabale health officials who screened the intercepted passengers said that they were all having normal temperature levels, thus no immediate health threat.

Some of the passengers claimed that if the bus had not developed mechanical problems, it would have reached the planned destination on time.

“We left Kampala at around 10pm thinking that we would have reached Kisoro town by 6am, but this bus developed mechanical problems when we reached Ntungamo,” Mr Amos Nshuti, one of the passengers, said.