The scene of yesterday morning’s accident involving a matatu and a bus on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway, which claimed 15 lives, has been described as “straight from a horror movie”.
The mangled wreckages of the two vehicles, dark patches of spilt oil and blood, broken glasses, pieces of rubber and items of clothing littered the section of the busy road.
“It was a scene straight from hell, gruesome and terrible,” said Mr Peter Otieno, a passenger in the bus who survived the horrific crash that occurred at Twin Bridge area.
The Nation has established that all the occupants of the Northways matatu that collided with a bus belonging to Classic Kings of Congo, including the driver, died in the grisly accident. The matatu was ferrying passengers to Eldoret while the bus was headed to Nairobi.
According to preliminary reports, the driver of the matatu was speeding and overtaking before the accident. It is alleged that the driver was competing with another matatu.
Rescuers at the scene of the road crash at Twin Bridge area of Mau Summit along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway that claimed the lives of 15 people on January 09, 2023.
Photo credit: John Njoroge | Nation Media Group
“The driver of the Northways matatu was speeding and overtaking when the accident occurred. That is why he could not control the vehicle before it collided with the bus,” said Beatrice Kemboi.
Several passengers on the bus suffered minor injuries. They were treated at the Molo sub-county hospital and discharged. The driver of the bus fled after the accident and is being sought by the police.
The bodies of the dead were taken to the hospital’s mortuary while the wreckages of the two vehicles were towed to Molo Police Station.
According to Kuresoi North sub-county police boss Judah Gathenge, eight of the dead were adults while seven were children aged between one and 15 years.
“Seven other passengers were injured; including five foreigners and two Kenyans. While 38 escaped with minor injuries,” revealed the police boss.
“The driver of the bus fled after the accident and we have launched a manhunt for him. We want him to shed light on what transpired before the accident. For now, we cannot say what caused the accident, we have launched an investigation into the matter. We will also conduct an inspection to establish if there was a mechanical problem,” said Mr Gathenge.
He further noted that the area where the accident occurred was a blackspot and urged drivers to be careful.
Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, a Tanzanian national, told the Nation that he boarded the bus in Kampala, Uganda on Monday at 3pm and was heading to Nairobi for business. He said he was woken up by a loud bang and realised that the bus had been involved in an accident.
“We had a smooth journey from Kampala to Kenya until the accident happened. It is not an easy thing to see dead bodies scattered all over. I have travelled to many countries and this is the first fatal accident I have witnessed,” he said amid tears. “May the families of those who perished find peace during this hard time.”
The Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret highway, which is expected to be expanded, has claimed several lives and left many others nursing injuries. In the past three months alone, at least 30 people have been killed in separate road crashes along the road.
The National Transport and Safety Authority and the traffic police department are under public scrutiny, following the rise in the number of road accidents along the highway.
