Survivors say ill-fated bus had mechanical problems

 

The wreckage of the bus is pulled at Migaa on the Nakuru- Eldoret Highway where 13 bodies have been retrieved. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The bus which was involved in an accident at Migaa blackspot along the Nakuru-Eldoret Highway had mechanical problems that were repaired for hours in Kericho.

Thirteen people were killed and 55 injured after the bus belonging to Coast Bus rammed a car from behind before rolling and landing in a ditch on Tuesday at around 4 am.

Survivors of the horrific crash narrated that their journey from Kisumu was marred with challenges even before they left the bus park.

“Departure was delayed for nearly an hour and we set off for the Coast at around 4:50 pm on Monday. The bus was unusually struggling uphill and stopped in Kericho,” said Rhoda Atieno.

Atieno who was travelling to Mombasa said that the stopover in Kericho followed pleas by passengers that the bus was not in good condition for the journey.

“We asked the driver to request another bus from their company to pick us up in Kericho as they look for a mechanic. We arrived in Kericho at around 7:30 pm,” she said.

The driver instead sought a mechanic to repair the bus after which they resumed the journey at around 2:20 am, Tuesday.

“As we approached Sachang’wan, the bus started going over bumps without slowing down. It is then that the driver disclosed that the brakes had failed,” said Atieno.

Jackson Odera, another passenger, said he was travelling to Mombasa to take up a new job.

“At first, we thought the driver was ignoring the bumps to make up for lost time. In a split second, we heard a loud bang, and the next moment I found myself thrown out of the bus with no shoes on,” said Odera.

The bus is said to have rammed a Toyota Passo from behind killing both drivers on the spot.

The wreckage of the vehicles was strewn over a hundred meters with most bodies trapped under the bus.

Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Jasper Ombati who visited the scene said that out of the five people on board the car, three survived and were rushed to hospital.

“We unfortunately lost 13 people on the spot. Two of them from the car and eleven from the bus. These included seven men, five women, and one infant who was thrown off the bus on impact,” said Ombati.

Fifty-five people who sustained serious injuries were rushed to various hospitals while the bodies were removed to the Molo Sub-County Hospital mortuary.

A help desk has been set up at the hospital by the Kenya Red Cross Society.

“We have ten survivors admitted to Molo Hospital, 17 at the Nakuru County Hospital, and another 28 at Coptic Hospital in Rongai. Investigations into the accident have commenced,” said Ombati.

The regional police boss cautioned motorists against driving unroadworthy vehicles.

“We are yet to establish the cause of this accident but it is our call to drivers to ensure their vehicles are in good condition before put them on the road,” he said.

David Ngugi, a bus driver called on the government to speed up the expansion of the highway saying that the current two lanes are not enough.

“There are many vehicles on this road and this section is steep. Drivers of heavy vehicles are forced to break for many kilometers heating the brakes. This is what leads to brake failure leading to accidents,” said Ngugi.

Expansion of the Rironi-Mau Summit section of the Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret Highway has been pending for more than three years.