On July 3rd, a bus carrying passengers toppled in the Siwot district of Kericho County, injuring at least 19 people.
Police Commander Geoffrey Mayek confirmed the collision and said that three of the victims had head injuries and were in severe condition.
The majority of the passengers were transporting their agricultural goods to local markets when the tragedy happened on Monday morning at 5 a.m.
According to local sources, the wounded were promptly saved and taken to several hospitals in Kericho County, where they are still receiving medical care.
“They were taken to Kaplong and Tenwek hospitals for treatment. The cause of the accident is still being investigated, but it is believed that the bus was speeding when it hit a pothole,” a source stated.
Traffic police officers arrived at the scene of the accident promptly and commenced processing the evidence, which included the wreckage of the overturned bus.
The source also revealed that the wreckage was later towed to a local police station, where it will undergo further examination by other agencies including insurance experts.
This was the second road accident in Kericho County within a span of four days. On Friday, June 30, a trailer traveling on the Kericho – Nakuru road lost control and rammed into several vehicles killing more than 50 people and injuring over 60 others. The Londiani accident was described as a national disaster by political leaders.
Authorities expressed concerns over the road safety situation in the country, with President William Ruto noting that over 3,000 people die annually as a result of accidents.
Ruto stated that there were over 13,000 road accidents in the country in 2022, during which a number of the victims were either killed or injured.
While speaking to bodaboda operators in Nairobi on Monday, June 26, Ruto stated that the government had taken some steps to improve road safety, such as increasing the number of traffic police officers and introducing new laws to punish reckless driving.
However, he also noted that more needs to be done to address the problem of road accidents in Kenya.
