Bus Crash in Western Kenya Kills 25 People Returning from Funeral

A tragic bus accident in western Kenya has claimed the lives of 25 people. The victims were mourners returning from a funeral, local police and officials said. The crash happened on Friday afternoon along the busy Kisumu-Kakamega Highway, a stretch known for many deadly accidents.

According to police reports, the driver lost control of the bus. The vehicle veered off the road and overturned into a ditch. At the scene, 10 women, 10 men, and one young girl died instantly. Another 20 passengers were injured, with five in critical condition. Sadly, four more people later died in the hospital.

The bus was originally a secondary school vehicle but was being used to transport funeral guests. The passengers all belonged to the same family. They were returning from a burial ceremony at Nyahera to Nyakach, a journey of about 62 kilometers (38.5 miles).

Kenya’s Ministry of Health has called for an urgent blood donation drive to help the survivors. They also sent their condolences to the families affected by the tragedy. The ministry reminded drivers to be careful on the roads, especially as Kenya faces many fatal accidents.

President William Ruto asked authorities on social media to find those responsible for any negligence that led to the crash. He stressed the need to enforce traffic rules to improve road safety nationwide.

The National Transport and Safety Authority of Kenya is helping with investigations to find out exactly why the accident happened.

This deadly crash comes amid a worrying rise in road accidents in Kenya. Earlier this week, six people died in a medical charity plane crash near Nairobi. On Thursday, nine people were killed when a bus hit a train in Naivasha. And on Saturday, another crash near Nairobi took the lives of seven people.

Between 2020 and 2021, Kenya saw a more than 20% increase in road deaths. In 2021 alone, over 4,500 people died and more than 16,000 were injured in traffic accidents.