By Michelle Ndaga
Twenty-five people have died, and 20 others were injured after a bus carrying mourners from a funeral overturned into a ditch along the Kisumu Kakamega Highway in western Kenya, local authorities said on Saturday.
According to a police report seen by the BBC, the driver lost control of the secondary school bus which had no students on board on Friday afternoon. The vehicle veered off the road before rolling into a ditch in an area notorious for fatal road accidents.
Ten women, ten men, and a young girl died at the scene, while four more victims succumbed to injuries in hospital. Five of the injured remain in critical condition. Police said all passengers were believed to be members of the same extended family returning from a burial in Nyahera to Nyakach, a journey of about 62 kilometres.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with the National Transport and Safety Authority pledging to assist. Kenya’s Ministry of Health launched an “urgent blood drive” for survivors and extended condolences to the bereaved.
President William Ruto called for swift action against “any acts of negligence” and urged authorities to crack down on traffic violations nationwide. The tragedy follows a spate of deadly accidents in Kenya this week, including a light aircraft crash in Nairobi that killed six people, a bus–train collision in Naivasha that left nine dead, and a separate road accident near Nairobi that claimed seven lives.Kenya has seen a worrying rise in traffic fatalities, with more than 4,500 deaths recorded in 2021 a more than 20% increase from the previous year.
