More details have emerged on some of the victims who perished in Nithi bridge accident which left at least 34 people dead.
Reports indicate that a doctor, identified as Mary Mwandisha had received an appointment letter for her first job and was on her way to pick the letter. She had just secured a county job with the County Government of Taita Taveta.
The 29-year-old was working at a private health facility in Meru before the modern coast accident abruptly cut short her dreams.
”She called me before boarding and she promised to call upon arrival. I was worried when I woke up at 6am and realised that her phone was not going through after failing to notify me,” stated Evangeline Mwandisha, mother of the diseased.
Mwandisha attended primary school in Kilifi, where she scored 422 marks in the national examination, earning herself a slot at the prestigious Alliance Girls High School.
She graduated from the University of Nairobi in the year 2020 after which she secured an internship position in Taita Tave County for a year.
Media reports indicate she worked at a private institution in Voi for three months before moving to Meru where she worked for another three months until her demise.
According to her mother, the deceased went for the interview last week and was qualified for the job which she was to start on August 1.
“Mary Mwandisha knew early on that to escape the crushing poverty that had dogged her family, she had to work hard in school,” friend of hers Shem Beverton recounted on a Facebook post.
To her family, they held on to the news of the tragedy hoping their daughter was not among the victims. According to her brother, they confirmed their fears after calling the bus company office in Kilifi on Monday, July, 25.
”After learning of the ill-fated bus, we were all desperately trying to contact her but her calls were not going through. We went to the county booking office and upon confirming, we found out that she had booked seat number two,” remarked the brother, as reported by the Standard.
Beatrice Wakothie widow of the driver of the bus revealed her late husband had raised concerns regarding the condition the bus, weeks before the grisly accident.
Speaking to the media on Monday, July 25, Wakothie affirmed that her husband, Paul Kamau had spent hours at the garage as mechanics tried to fix the vehicle.
It also emerged that the same bus had been involved in a road accident years back, in which one person was killed.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) suspended Modern Coast operations, and launched investigations into the crash.