A 60-seater Modern Coast bus on Saturday, December 7, caught fire near the Gilgil Weigh Bridge along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
According to videos seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the fire has broken out from the rear of the bus and is strong on the driver’s side.
According to reports, passengers have evacuated safely. However, they could not salvage their belongings.
The inferno has completely engulfed the rear side of the bus, with fire and smoke bellowing on the bus that is parked on the shoulder of the busy highway.
Firefighters have managed to put out the fire, with rescuers working to remove the wreck from the road.
Reports indicate the bus was on its way to Nairobi from the western parts of the country.
From videos shared online, vehicles are moving around the bus in an attempt to avoid a traffic snarlup. Traffic jams in the area have caused havoc before, with one leading to people spending nearly 12 hours on the highway.
It remains unclear how many passengers were on the bus. However, authorities say the fire is under control. Authorities are also investigating the cause of the inferno.
This is by far not an oddity. Bus fires have been a recurring issue, particularly affecting long-distance buses. In early February, when a bus travelling from Kitale to Malindi caught fire near Voi, along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
The bus, operated by Tahmeed Bus Services, was carrying 48 passengers, all of whom were safely evacuated before the fire engulfed the vehicle.
This fire followed a similar incident in January 2023, in which another bus operated by the same company, en route to Mombasa, also caught fire in the same area.
In a national address on Thursday, the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, revealed that this year is on course to record the most death accidents.
According to Kanja, last year from January to November recorded 3,469 fatal accidents, compared with 3681 fatal accidents recorded this year. There are 1,620 more road traffic accident victims recorded, up from 20,239 last year.
