The death toll from the horror crash involving a university bus and a matatu in Naivasha has risen to 17 as emerged students were told to wear and tighten their seat belts.
The bus wasn't speeding as it was heading downhill and hit a bump on Thursday. Then the brakes failed as it plunged downhill, overtaking cars and colliding with a matatu.
Seventy-five people were in both vehicles. More than 60 people were seriously injured. Some were transferred to other hospitals.
A major appeal for blood was issued because so many people lost blood.
Eight Pwani University students and their two drivers have been confirmed to have died. The other casualties came from the matatu.
Survivors on Friday said the bus driver made frantic attempts to avoid hitting the matatu after the vehicle's brakes had failed.
The driver Ernest Barasa asked the students to belt up after realising there were mechanical problems.
"It was bad luck the brakes of our bus failed. The driver asked all of us to put on safety belts. Seemingly, he knew what was going to happen," a survivor who did not want to be named told journalists.
"He tried controlling the vehicle and even aimed to hit bumps to bring it to a halt but that never worked."
Barasa and his co-driver Sylvester Wanje are among those who perished.
The rest are students Dancan Musyoka, Boniface Omondi, Dennis Sankale, Lawrence Karanja, Shadrack Rono, Jerry Rawlins, Destiny Nyambu and Kennedy Omillo who was the football coach.
The students were heading to Eldoret from Kilifi for sports.
Rono was a third-year student pursuing a bachelor of education in Arts, Kiswahili with history option.
He was the school photographer.
His dream of capturing memorable moments during the games was cut short when they reached Naivasha.
His friend Komrade Were revealed said Rono was planning to concentrate on photography once he completed his degree.
“And I recall our seemingly the last conversations that morning. He even told us how he had to turn down a lucrative job offer from the county government to complete his studies."
Rono established his photography and videography business in Kilifi by starting the Mkuu Lens.
He was the official photographer for Fikirini Jacobs’s senatorial campaigns in Kilifi county.
“Mkuu, our hearts are bleeding, we are in an agony that is incomparable to any pain. You were one guy who would always promote my business every time you passed by, It's funny that you bought ice bars for anyone you found around, even though you personally weren't healthy wisely okay to take some,” Were said
Jacobs, who visited the scene. eulogised Rono as a hardworking and dedicated person.
He described him as a staunch supporter of the ruthless focus movement, a political wave that Jacobs used as a launch pad for his senatorial bid.
“It has taken me a lot of emotional effort to share my condolences to my friend, my brother, my comrade, my personal photographer Ndugu Shadrack Rono of Mkee Lens; a determined comrade, a gentleman who subscribed fully to the ruthless focus movement who had gone far in cutting a niche for himself in the world of photojournalism away from the course he was pursuing in Pwani University,” Jacobs said.
Bonface Omondi was the football team's goalkeeper.
The university has since suspended learning following the tragedy.
Vice Chancellor Mohamed Rajab said learning will resume on Monday.
Naivasha police boss Samuel Waweru said the bus was full when the crash occurred.
He said initial investigations indicated that the bus's brakes system failed and in the process, the bus hit the Nissan matatu that had 14 passengers.
“We have so far lost 17 people to the accident and over 50 are undergoing treatment at the Naivasha subcounty hospital while the bodies have been taken to the mortuary,” Waweru said.
Witness John Mbogo said the speeding bus missed several cars on the highway before it hit the matatu.
He said on impact, the drivers of the two vehicles lost control and landed in a ditch seriously injuring the students and the passengers.
“The bus was moving at high speed and kept hooting before hitting the Nissan matatu and as a result, many people have died,” he said.
Nakuru Health executive Jackline Osore confirmed 17 people had died and another 76 had been attended to at the Naivasha hospital's casualty wing.
The deaths included those who succumbed to injuries in hospital.
Osore said that they had transferred 12 patients to different hospitals including Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi and the Provincial General Hospital in Nakuru.
“The university has lost a total of 10 people while the rest are from the Nissan matatu and we are doing everything possible to save the lives of the others,” she said.
Nakuru county chief officer for disaster management Joyce Ncece termed the incident as shocking a day after seven people died in Oljorai area after their houses were swept by flash floods.
“This marks one of the darkest days for the county and we thank the medics and volunteers who did a commendable job in attending to those injured,” she said.
Evan Kipchumba, one of the injured students said trouble started after the bus hit a bump along the highway leading to the mechanical breakdown.
He said that the driver advised the students to wear their safety belts before the bus gained momentum, overtaking cars at high speed before hitting the matatu.
“We were heading to Eldoret for national hockey games and the driver was not speeding before the accident occurred due to mechanical breakdown,” he said.
Another student Kevin Momanyi said he was still in shock after losing some of their colleagues in the accident.
“We were 62 students in the bus and at no time was the driver speeding and the bus did not have any problem before the accident occurred,” he said.
President William Ruto hassent his condolences to the university and families whose loved one perished.
"Our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who lost loved ones in the Naivasha accident involving a Pwani University bus. It's heartbreaking that some of the fatalities were young citizens with a promising future. We pray for the speedy recovery of the survivors," Ruto said in a statement on Twitter.
(Edited by V. Graham)