Felix Onyango, a student who is among the survivors of the grisly accident that claimed the lives of 11 Kenyatta University (KU) students on Monday has revealed what transpired before the crash
According to the student who was speaking to the press on Tuesday, March 19, the bus driver was overtaking along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.
"The journey was alright before we got to Voi where it was raining. The driver started to overtake but he was doing it wrongly," Onyango stated.
Per the student's recollection, the bus driver was driving in the wrong lane before he spotted the trailer approaching at high speed from the opposite side.
The bus driver is said to have attempted to make way by switching to the opposite lane.
However, the space was limited and he manoeuvred to prevent a head-on collision.
The driver steering the trailer also swerved towards the direction of the bus which culminated in the heavy truck ramming into the bus's rear end.
This catastrophic collision led to the death of 11 students while several others sustained serious injuries. Some of the students were airlifted to hospitals within Nairobi for specialised medical attention.
Meanwhile, Onyango who sustained minor injuries emphasised that the bus was fully functional and in good condition before they began their journey to Nairobi.
Another survivor who sustained hand injuries reiterated that the students seated in the back of the bus were the most affected by the impact of the collision.
The student who was also speaking to the press, added that some students who did not have their seat belts on were thrown outside resulting in neck, leg and hand injuries.
"Some were thrown out at high speed and I do not know if they made it or where they are. The heavy rain impaired the driver's vision but he was also speeding," the student recalled.
Additionally, he revealed that most of those who were thrown out lost consciousness and only remember receiving treatment at the hospitals.
Following the incident, the Ministry of Transport through Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced new measures to curb such incidents and road carnage in general.
In the new directives, officers from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) will now work together with traffic police after former President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered them off Kenyan roads in 2018.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki on the other hand has also announced a nationwide crackdown targetting traffic offenders and rogue police officers collecting bribes and turning a blind eye to traffic infractions.
