Over 20 passengers escape death after bus catches fire

Over 20 passengers heading to Uganda from Nairobi escaped death narrowly after their bus caught at Morendat, Naivasha on Thursday morning following a mechanical breakdown.

Personal effects and goods were reduced to ashes during the 1 am incident at Morendat, Naivasha along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

The fire started from the back wheels forcing the driver to park by the roadside before the whole bus was engulfed in fire and reduced to a shell.

Naivasha OCPD Antony Keter confirmed the incident adding that little was salvaged though the majority of the passengers lost their personal effects and goods to the fire.

“We had an incident where a bus heading to Kampala developed mechanical breakdown and a fire erupted but all the passengers escaped unhurt,” he said.

Meanwhile, a family in Naivasha is trying to come to terms with an incident where their 16-year-old daughter died by suicide using a rope in their house.

The body of the Form 2 student was found in her bedroom in Nyondia area a month after her alleged boyfriend took his life in the same village in a similar manner.

The death brought to eight the number of students who have taken their lives in the town this year with depression, family disputes and the use of drugs blamed for the numbers.

Last month, a Form 2 student took her life in Kayole estate to protest a decision by the family to take her back to a secondary school where she had been suspended.

In the latest incident, emotions ran high in the village located off the Naivasha-Kirima road as relatives tried to come to terms with the incident before police carted away the body.

According to the coordinator of Naivasha Gender Based Violence Cluster John Kinuthia, the minor didn’t leave behind a notice though she had confessed to her friends over her late friend.

He expressed his concern over the rising cases of suicide mainly involving students in and around the lakeside town terming the numbers as worrying.

“According to her friends, the deceased lost a friend through suicide and this affected her a lot and she decided to take her life too,” she said.

The OCPD confirmed the incident adding that the body had been collected and taken to the local mortuary and an inquest file opened.

“There are many theories that have been given following the incident and we are investigating the case and several family members have recorded statements."