A passenger bus overturned along Mombasa Road near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Sunday, June 11, causing a heavy traffic jam.
A witness, Geoffrey Wageni, confirmed to Kenyans.co.ke that the accident occurred near Cabanas causing a snarl-up stretching all the way to Imara Daima because the bus blocked part of the road and forced vehicles to pass off-road.
“People using the Mombasa Road must brace themselves for long hours in the traffic jam. Instead of the road clearing up, it is actually piling up,” Wageni.
The number of casualties was, however, still unknown by the time of publishing even as police and rescue teams rushed to the accident scene.
Below is the video:
One traffic police officer was seen trying to compel motorists to use alternative routes to avoid the snarl-up.
When reached for comment, a police officer close to the accident scene noted, “I am not at work at the moment and so I cannot comment on the issue right now.”
Wageni revealed that the vehicle belonging to Rwaken Investments Limited was usually contracted as a staff bus and was making one of the trips when the incident occurred.
"The bus is usually procured by flower companies in the area to transport their staff members," he explained.
Grim Statistics
While the cause of the accident was yet to be established, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) reported that most accidents in the country are caused by human error which are avoidable.
To curb that, NTSA on Wednesday, May 24, announced that it would roll out a digital system identified as Intelligent Road Safety Management System to curb traffic offenders.
The Authority noted that since January 2023, close to 1,700 people had died in road carnages across various roads in the country.
"From January to May, we have lost a total of 1,679 people in road accidents compared to 1,756 in the same period last year with pedestrians and motorcyclists being the leading causes,” NTSA reported at the time.
EPRA Announces Fuel Prices for June-July News Just In
