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Fort Ternan crash: Passengers say driver was speeding, using phone
The wreckage of the Busia-bound Uwezo bus that rammed onto a truck, killing six people, including the driver, at Fort Ternan area in Kericho.
Passengers who survived a grisly crash that killed six people at Fort Ternan on Londiani–Muhoroni Road, Kericho, have revealed that the driver of the Busia-bound bus was speeding and dangerously overtaking other vehicles.
Speaking to the Nation, some revealed that the vehicle was not slowing down at bumps, especially while it was on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway, before it got to Londiani-Kisumu Road. They say they pleaded with the driver to slow down, but their pleas were ignored.
It has also emerged that there was change of driver in Naivasha, with the second man taking control of the bus until the tragedy happened.
The driver is among six people that died in the crash on Tuesday morning.
A police investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
Police reported that at least 30 passengers sustained injuries in the accident and are receiving treatment at Londiani and Kericho County Referral Hospitals.
According to Kericho Police Commander James Ngetich, the Uwezo bus rammed into the rear of a truck, killing six people on the spot.
“The driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle before colliding with the truck. They died immediately. Thirty passengers sustained injuries of varying degrees,” said Mr Ngetich.
The wreckage of the Busia-bound Uwezo bus that rammed onto a truck, killing six people, including the driver, at Fort Ternan area in Kericho.
The front section of the bus was completely mangled. Police officers and emergency responders arrived shortly after the crash, coordinating rescue operations that lasted more than two hours.
The accident temporarily paralysed transport along the busy road connecting Kericho and Kisumu Counties. Fort Ternan is known as a high-risk accident area on the Londiani–Muhoroni road.
The wreckage of the Busia-bound Uwezo bus that rammed onto a truck, killing six people, including the driver, at Fort Ternan area in Kericho.
The crash occurred just hours after 10 people died at the Karai black spot in Naivasha, bringing the total number of fatalities from road accidents in less than 24 hours to 16.
Meanwhile, dozens of students narrowly escaped death in Kimende on the Nairobi–Nakuru highway, after a Guardian bus they were traveling in veered off the road and landed in a ditch.
Witnesses reported that the driver lost control of the bus though most students sustained only minor injuries.
In recent days, road accidents have surged across the country as Kenyans returned from upcountry trips after the festive season.
On Monday, 10 people died and 15 others were seriously injured in a separate crash at Karai on the Nairobi–Nakuru highway. That accident followed another tragedy three days earlier at Kikopey, which claimed five lives.
The spike in accidents has prompted the Motorists Association of Kenya to call for an urgent crackdown on rogue driving schools, citing inadequate training as a major cause.
The association claims that many driving institutions fail to provide critical skills, such as highway and night driving, but still record 100 percent pass rates for their students.
