Several passengers are feared to have lost their lives and others injured after a Climax coach they were travelling in got involved in a road mishap on Sunday morning.
The Nairobi-bound bus was ferrying travellers from Busia when it got involved in the incident at Awasi, an area synonymous with other road mishaps
Emergency services have been deployed to the scene to coordinate rescue efforts as authorities begin investigations to determine the cause of the crash.
The bus veered off the road and crashed into a ditch on the shoulder, with the exact cause of the incident yet to be established.
The Motorists Association has condemned the management of the buses following the incident, stating that despite efforts and concerns about the safety of the buses, no action has been taken yet.
”Complaints about the Climax bus and many road crashes have yet to reach their bus drivers and their managers,” the Motorists Association stated.
The association, along with other road safety advocacy groups, has accused the company’s management of failing to assign two drivers per bus for long-distance journeys.
There have also been reports that drivers often return to the road while fatigued, increasing the risk of crashes during return trips.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) mandates that long-distance truck drivers and PSVs do not operate for more than eight hours as mandated by the Traffic Act (Cap. 403). If the vehicle is to operate for more than the stipulated hours, then the parent companies are required to employ two drivers for the journey.
On Sunday last week, at least 20 passengers were injured after a Climax bus headed for Nairobi overturned in the Kimende area of Limuru, Kiambu County.
Police and witnesses reported that the Nairobi-bound bus overturned at the Kimende blackspot along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals with multiple injuries.
According to a witness, the bus driver was allegedly speeding when the incident occurred, despite the passengers voicing their concerns.
A fortnight ago, another Climax Sacco bus was involved in a road crash on the Nakuru–Eldoret highway after a head-on collision with a long-distance truck.
Earlier, on February 17, a different bus from the sacco was involved in a crash at Awasi in Kisumu County after it veered off the road and rolled. The bus, which was ferrying passengers from Busia to Nairobi, left several occupants with injuries.