A Nairobi-bound bus from Mbale District in Uganda heading to Nairobi crashed at Lwakhakha, in Bungoma, on Saturday, January 7.
Reports indicated that the bus failed to negotiate a corner, and veered off the road, hitting a mother, daughter, and a Boda Boda rider in the process.
According to Patrick Kitau, the Bungoma District Police Commander in Kenya, the crash injured at least 49 other people.
New details have emerged on the cause of the accident, with reports in Ugandan media revealing that the driver was drunk and quarrelling with his conductor before the bus overturned.
A report by Monitor, a Ugandan newspaper, indicates that the death toll included at least eight Ugandans passengers.
Equally, the three Kenyans hit by the overturning bus were confirmed dead.
"Today (January 7, 2023), a fatal road crash involving Nairobi Bus at Lwakhakha in Kenya killed many people.
It's confirmed that among the dead are eight Ugandans,” the Mt Elgon regional Police spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rogers Taitika.
Sirisia MP John Waluke also visited the accident scene and committed to following up on the matter.
“This evening, I have just rushed to the scene of the accident at Namundi in Lwandanyi ward where a Nairobi-bound bus was involved in an accident,
“The bus lost control and veered off the road hitting a bodaboda rider, a woman, and a child who died on the spot," he revealed.
“I will engage relevant authorities to reach a way of mitigating accidents on the Lwakhakha-Chwele road that are claiming the lives of our people,” he added.
An analysis by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) shows a 3 per cent increase in road carnage as of November 15, 2022, with fatalities standing at 4,432 compared to 4,271 during the same period last year.
More than 1,595 pedestrians lost their lives crossing roads from January 2022 to December 2022.
