Traffic police blamed for Rioma School bus accident that claimed 18 lives

Wreckage of the bus after it overturned while carrying students headed for school games.

By Maureen Odiwuor

Kisii, Kenya: Traffic Police Officers are to blame for the Rioma school bus tragedy that claimed lives of 12 students and four teachers, investigations by the Ombudsman has revealed.

The commission also wants Marani District Quality Assurance and Standards Officer David Nyakore and Rioma Secondary School Principal Rawlings Juma prosecuted.

Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) Chair Otiende Amollo said the two flagged off the bus contrary to the School Transportation safety riles.

“Action should be taken against Juma for irregular hiring of incompetent and inexperienced bus driver and unprocedural dismissal of the former driver Dismas Ondari,” he said.

In a press statement signed by Amollo, the ill fated bus was overloaded at the time of the accident with 85 passengers against a capacity of 51seats.

The accident took place after the vehicle had been intercepted by two traffic police officers at Mwembe in the outskirts of Kisii town.

“The police officers who intercepted the vehicle at Mwembe did not inspect it nor take action against the driver. Investigations also revealed that officers were only deployed along Kisii-Ogembo road on the fateful day,” he said.

He said the vehicle was released under suspicious circumstances considering that an officer from the Government Vehicles Check Unit (GVCU) Ms Maria Mutheu had impounded and confiscated it before.

Mutheu intercepted and confiscated the vehicle and its work ticket due to violation of traffic rules.

Amollo recommended that the two police officers who let the overloaded vehicle pass be prosecuted for negligence of duty since it was confirmed that it was also over speeding.