What began as a solemn journey to pay last respects to a loved one ended in a catastrophe that has plunged an entire community into mourning.
On Friday, August 8, members of the Korwa and Katieno Clans from Koguta Katombo Village in Nyakach Sub-County, Kisumu County, boarded a Naki Secondary School bus bound for Nyahera, Kisumu West — a 20-kilometre journey — to attend the burial of their kin, Risper Akeyo Ogendo.
The bus carried 54 passengers, including an 18-month-old baby. Due to the high number of mourners travelling for the funeral, some clan members opted for other modes of transport, including saloon cars.
As you approach Katombo Village, grief hangs heavy in the air. Wails rise from homesteads scattered along the dusty road. In some compounds, multiple family members are gone. In others, survivors sit in stunned silence, too drained to cry.
“Where do we even start?” whispers Margaret Onyango, a villager, as neighbours walk from house to house, offering what little comfort they can. “We have lost so many. It feels like the whole village has been cut in half.”
The scene of the accident at Coptic Roundabout, Kisumu, on August 8, 2025.
Photo credit: Angeline Ochieng | Nation Media Group
For school-going children, the tragedy has ripped away the very foundation of their lives. Many have lost both parents in a single day, and their future is now clouded with uncertainty.
At one home, Lavender Vallary, 18, sits on a wooden stool, clutching framed photographs of her parents, Samuel Odhiambo and Esther Odhiambo. Her eyes are swollen from crying, her voice trembling.
“My father and mother woke up early on Friday to attend the burial. They left at 7 am, rushing to catch the bus. I stayed behind with my cousin. They told me to take care of the home. I didn’t know I would be taking care of it forever… in their absence,” she said.
Her father, a 60-year-old retired teacher, and her 57-year-old mother, she says, were “good parents that everyone could wish for.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to live without them. When I got the call at 8 pm, saying they were gone, I didn’t want to wake up to face the reality. But only God knows why,” Lavender added, tears rolling down her chin.
The scene of the accident at Coptic Roundabout, Kisumu, on August 8, 2025.
Photo credit: Angeline Ochieng | Nation Media Group
About 100 metres away, in another corner of the village, Kezia Atieno, a 20-year-old second-year student at Kaimosi Friends University, is grappling with her own double loss.
“We were all at the funeral in Nyahera,” she recalls. “The bus was full, so I boarded my uncle’s vehicle. We followed a different route, via Kisumu–Busia Road. How I wish my parents had chosen a different vehicle… maybe they would still be alive today.”
For Grace Amimo, the grief is tangled with fear. Her father, Maurice Amimo, died in the crash, while her mother, Lilian Awuor, lies critically injured in the hospital.
“I can’t believe my father is gone. And I’m praying every moment for my mother to survive. I don’t know what will happen if I lose her too,” she said.
It is the same situation in almost every home, located just 50 metres apart — almost a whole clan wiped out.
The scene of the accident at Coptic Roundabout, Kisumu, on August 8, 2025.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
Mr Lawrence Agai, an elderly man seated on a plastic chair with his head resting in his cupped hands, is among those seemingly lost in thought.
While the deceased were from the Korwa clan, Mr Agai said the neighbouring Katieno clan had also joined in to console them.
“We raised money and hired the AIC Naki Secondary School bus to transport the two clans alongside other villagers,” said Mr Agai, adding that some of the mourners were traveling in a private car.
The elderly man said that inside the 51-seater bus were 30 members of the Korwa clan, including his four brothers. He had, however, chosen to stay behind and instead gave a funeral contribution to those who were traveling.
“On Friday morning, I was present to bid the travellers farewell. The mourners left the village after offering prayers, hoping to come back safely,” said Mr Agai.
A bus ferrying mourners that overturned at Coptic Roundabout on August 8, 2025, killing more than 20 people.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
He recalled calling the mourners a couple of hours later, and they confirmed they had arrived safely.
In the evening, however, the old man came across a picture of the school bus circulating on social media.
The survivors, he said, had been moved to the wards and were undergoing treatment, with others critically injured.
Among the deceased were his two brothers, Richard Aetu and Moses Owak. Two other brothers, Jacob and Francis Agai, had sustained injuries and were undergoing treatment.
“We have suffered a big loss. The entire village is in mourning, leaving us with no one to turn to,” said a teary Mr Agai, who added that the clan lost two bishops and elders who had been entrusted with steering the community forward.
Among those who sustained injuries is Felix Okoth, also a resident of Nyakach. The survivor says the deceased they had buried was his aunt.
Mr Okoth recalled that as they neared the Coptic roundabout, the driver lost control of the vehicle.
“The bus bounced on the bumps, throwing us up. The driver unsuccessfully tried to negotiate the roundabout but failed,” said Mr Okoth.
Ouma Oluga (left), Principal Secretary, Ministry of Health, speaking to one of the Coptic accident victims at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kisumu on August 09, 2025.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo| Nation Media Group
Mr Okoth, who suffered several fractures on his hands and around the collarbone, said he cannot remember what happened after that.
“I only found myself in the hospital. I have also learned that a number of relatives who were seated next to me have sadly succumbed,” he said.
In the female wards, Ms Philgona Anyango Owak continues to nurse injuries to her head and hands.
Ms Owak revealed that she is yet to be in contact with the relatives she had travelled with before the tragic accident.
“I am alive by God’s grace. I am appealing to the nation to pray for us and offer any support to help with the healing journey and the burial of our loved ones,” she said.
For Mr Paul Omollo, a phone call from a Kenya Red Cross staff member revealed the news of the accident. He had been invited to rush to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital where his elderly mother was receiving treatment.
Mr Omollo recalls making phone calls to his son’s wife and elder brother, who had also travelled, but none of them picked up.
“I have viewed their bodies in the hospital morgue. My son’s wife has left behind four children — the youngest is 10 years old, while the eldest is in Form Two,” said Mr Omollo, who noted that his mother has since been stabilized.
Meanwhile, at the top referral hospital, there is an ongoing blood donation drive following the Friday evening accident that also left 28 people injured.
The Principal Secretary in the State Department of Medical Services, Dr Ouma Oluga, said they have mobilsed health workers from the hospital and neighbouring facilities, while a blood donation drive has also been organised to save the survivors.
Dr Oluga said 21 mourners were confirmed dead at the accident scene, another while five succumbed at the facility while undergoing treatment. The hospital has made the necessary arrangements to ensure the survivors receive timely medical care.
The hospital, he said, has currently admitted 26 survivors and set aside three theatres to handle the accident cases.
“We are sending a call for a blood drive to save lives. The hospital has established a blood transfusion centre, which is open to relatives and the public,” he said.
