Teachers and students are feared dead following an accident involving a bus and a Nissan matatu in Naivasha along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
Rescue operations involving police, members of the public and workers from the Naivasha fire brigade are ongoing.
Reports indicate that the grisly accident involved Pwani University students at the Kayole-Karai area in Naivasha after a suspected break failure.
Rift Valley police boss Tom Odera had earlier said 12 people died on the spot and he feared the death toll could rise.
“The bus rolled and killed 12 on the spot. We may have more casualties,” he said.
However, Naivasha OCPD Samuel Waweru has now revealed that the bus had over 60 people and the death toll has risen to 14.
The accident occurred after the bus lost control and hit a Kukena Sacco Nissan matatu near Naivasha town.
Over 60 people were seriously injured and rushed to Naivasha sub-county hospital before some were later transferred to PGH in Nakuru for specialised treatment.
Waweru said the accident occurred after the bus that was heading to Nakuru from Nairobi developed some mechanical breakdown before hitting the Nissan matatu headed in the same direction.
Both vehicles landed in a ditch trapping the occupants before members of the public came to their rescue while others succumbed to their injuries at the scene.
According to Waweru, the bus which was full was ferrying the students to Eldoret for college games when the accident occurred.
Speaking on phone, he said that initial investigations indicated that the bus brake’s system failed and in the process hitting the Nissan matatu that had 14 passengers.
“We have so far lost 14 people to the accident and more than 50 are undergoing treatment at the Naivasha subcounty hospital while the bodies have been taken to the local mortuary,” he said.
A witness John Mbogo narrated how the fast-speeding bus missed several cars on the highway by a whisker before hitting the matatu.
He said that on impact, the drivers of the two vehicles lost control and landed in a ditch.
“The bus was going at high speed and kept hooting before hitting the Nissan matatu,” he said.
Former Lakeview MCA Simon Wanyoike noted that the section of the road had become a black spot with six accidents reported in the last two months.
He blamed the recently constructed drainage for the deaths, noting that they have unsuccessfully called on KeNHA to cover it.
“The contractor left the drainage open and this has turned out to be the killer point, including today’s incident where we have lost 14 people,” he said.
Another witness Joyce Njeri said that only a minor was saved from the Nissan matatu which was fully packed.
