Accident Ahead: Several Injured After A Bus Overturned In Kericho

At least nineteen passengers were injured after a bus they were traveling in overturned in the Siwot area in Kericho County, along the Londiani-Muhuroni Road.

Confirming the accident, according to Police Commander Geoffrey Mayek, three of the injured were in critical condition after sustaining head injuries. Mayek said the majority of the victims suffered from general body pains and were rushed to Fort Ternan for treatment.

Mayek said that the accident occurred at around 10 am on Monday morning when the majority of the travelers were ferrying their agricultural produce to various markets within the region.

Sources in the area confirmed that the victims were immediately rescued and transferred to various hospitals within Kericho County where they are receiving treatment.

“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.

The accident occurred barely three days after another one at the Londiani junction on the Kericho-Nakuru Highway, killing 52 people.

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.

However, on Sunday, July 2, traders returned to the junction as normal, displaying their goods by the roadside. Those whose stalls were destroyed following the accident were captured putting up new structures to house their businesses.

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.

According to President Ruto, there were over 13,000 road accidents in the country in 2022, during which a number of the victims were either killed or injured.

President 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. He was speaking to bodaboda operators in Nairobi on Monday, June 26.

Related Content: Analyzing the Top 20 Leading Causes of Road Traffic Accidents Across 32 Countries