Tragedy of two brothers killed in Soy accident that killed 10

The head-on collision involved the shuttle that was heading to Nairobi and a lorry headed to Kitale. 

The fifth and sixth born siblings in a family of eight had left their home in Cecilia village, Kongoni sub location in Likuyani on the border of Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia counties around 6:30am on Friday for Nairobi, only for their lives to be cut short about two hours later.

The deceased were the only sons in the family of eight, and had promised to work hard and make better their siblings lives.

When Nation Africa visited their home, family and friends were yet to come to terms with their sudden demise.

The deceased had come home on December 22 for the Christmas holiday and left on Friday morning for Nairobi where they work as casual workers.

The two brothers lived together in Tasia, Nairobi.

“We are devastated and we want to know what really caused the accident and action taken against those involved,” said Daisy Belinda Muyuka, a sister of the deceased. 

She narrated how her brothers had big plans for the New Year, including putting up a modern house for their family.

Fidelis Lukuya, the father to the two brothers, narrated how minutes past 9am he received a call from a friend informing him of the accident  but was not sure if it was the vehicle his sons had boarded to Nairobi.

His fears would soon be confirmed after several unanswered calls to his sons, when a woman picked one of their phones and broke news of the tragic accident. 

“This was shocking because I lost my sons just a few hours after they left home, it's a big shock to me. I am just putting my hope in God. It's really painful to lose two children in this tragic manner,” said the father. 

His family was devastated after visiting the scene of the accident and later to Moi Teaching and Referral hospital where they identified the bodies. 

He said the sons were breadwinners of their humble family.

Their mother Margaret Musimbi, 58, said her two sons  had a promising future.

“I am very devastated as you can see my two sons had promised to change my life and even build us a house, but now they are gone. All is not well,” said the mother. 

Just a few kilometres away, another family in Bondeni village, Kongoni, is also in mourning after losing their daughter. 

Josephine Kanaiza, 40, also succumbed to the injuries. 

Her parents Erustus Mboya and Rose Mboya said she was their pillar and noted that she  is survived by her 17-year-old son.

She revealed that her two sons loved each other and even lived together in Nairobi. She said they were working hard to change their lives after failing to proceed with education after finishing secondary school for lack of fees.

“Our last communication was very jovial Thursday evening when they told me their plans to travel back to Nairobi on Friday. We had interesting conversations and they promised me a lot of things this year,” added the heartbroken mother. 

The deceased brothers’ grandfather Dagerias Mudogo and neighbour Caleb Temba expressed shock and disappointment over the untimely death

“We want to understand what really happened because we are really in pain. This road has become a deathtrap and we cannot continue to lose our people like this,” said Mr Mudogo. 

According to her family, their daughter, the first born in a family of five, was a businesswoman who had left early morning for Nairobi only for her life to be cut short by the tragic accident. 

Yet another family is yet to come to terms with the tragedy. For the second day, Joyna Khatundi, has been camping at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County, nursing her nephew, one of the three children who survived the Friday morning fatal crash between a matatu and a truck at Soy on the Eldoret-Kitale road.

While the seven-year-old boy continues to recuperate at the hospital, Ms Khatundi’s big headache is how to break the news to the minor that his mother is no more.

“Since my nephew regained consciousness, he has been frequently asking the whereabouts of his mother so that they proceed with their journey to Nairobi where my sister lived”, said Ms Khatundi during an interview with Nation Africa.

She added that her nephew is on a good path to recovery after sustaining a broken leg, arm and an injury to the head but may stay longer in hospital to recover well.

“It is my nephew who told rescuers where he goes to school at Seregeya in Likuyani, Kakamega County, who then called his teacher. This is how the parents knew about this,” she said.

She said that her younger sister Irene Nasimiyu had travelled to their rural home in Soy for Christmas and New Year festivities but the tragedy happened as she was returning to Nairobi together with one of her two children. She urged well-wishers to assist them in paying the hospital bills.

On Friday, residents of Likuyani and Soy protested over the dilapidated section of the Kitale-Eldoret highway, which they said is too narrow and dotted with potholes.

Mr Collins Chapurukha MCA Nzoia ward, who visited some of the bereaved the families, observed that it's time for the government to work on the highway that has become a blackspot and a deathtrap. 

Soy Police Commander Henry Zuma on Friday revealed that the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
“I want to tell drivers to be careful on the road during this period when people are returning to work. We will also increase patrol to ensure compliance on the road,” Mr Zuma said.

Additional reporting by Steve Keter and Jared Nyataya