Families of those who died in a road accident in Mtito Andei have begun identifying their loved ones following post-mortems after 24 people died and 23 were injured in a collision in Kanga, Makueni County.
The bus owned by the Power of the Word Church International crashed into a truck on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway on Sunday, October 25 after returning from a burial ceremony in western Kenya. The bodies have been transferred to mortuaries for identification while survivors receive treatment.
The Makueni County Government has waived hospital, mortuary and post-mortem fees as Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili visited with survivors at the Makindu Sub-County Hospital. She also gave her condolences to the families.
“The Makueni County Government has waived the hospital, mortuary and post-mortem fees,” the Governor’s Press Service said in a statement on Monday, October 26.
Survivors are receiving medical treatment as some required specialist care. Dr Romeo Wahome a doctor at Makindu Sub-County Hospital said they have received 20 patients, 10 of which have been admitted.
“We have received 20 patients here at Makindu and some of them were very critical. We admitted 10 of them and one of them is in ICU,” Wahome told the media on Monday.
Three patients were referred to other facilities. They continued to monitor the critically injured.
“So far we are monitoring three of them and one of them is in ICU.”
Survivors were transferred to various facilities including Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital and Makindu Sub-County Hospital. There has not been a united statement released by the authorities regarding the survivors’ conditions.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) said initial reports suggest the crash may have been due to improper overtaking. The vehicles had collided head-on and they are working with police to determine what happened. They said in a statement on Sunday.
“Preliminary reports indicate that the collision was a head-on collision and improper overtaking may have been a factor.”
Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif said the driver tried to overtake multiple vehicles. However, he lost control of the vehicle and veered into the path of the oncoming truck.
“The driver of the Word Church International was trying to overtake multiple vehicles but while doing so swerved to the right and had a head-on collision with the truck, which was also trying to avoid the collision,” Khalif said.
As the investigations are ongoing, Mulili has urged drivers on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway to drive carefully, especially if they are tired. Drivers could put themselves, passengers and others in danger.
“There have been multiple incidents where there have been mass casualties on this road,” she said. “Drivers should not drive when tired.”
The incident has raised concerns over road safety on the busy route, which is often used by passenger buses, private vehicles and heavy trucks. Another incident happened on October 3 in Salama where 17 Catholic pilgrims died after their bus crashed. This has led to calls for more safety measures on the roads.
President William Ruto ordered an inspection of public service vehicles following the incident. He urged adherence to safety standards.
“This is an unfortunate and heartbreaking loss for the families and nation. We join you in your sorrow and pray that the families find strength and comfort. I wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” Ruto said in a condolence statement.
The Ministry of Roads and Transport have also said they will take further action to prevent road crashes by engaging with relevant government bodies. Those who died have families who are trying to identify their loved ones and complete post-mortems. The county have waived some of the costs for the families. Survivors are receiving treatment.
The authorities are still investigating the collision. This will determine the exact cause of the collision and if there were any traffic offences or factors that contributed to the deaths and injuries.