Three killed in yet another Salgaa accident

Wreckage of the saloon car that was smashed by a passenger bus at Migaa. (Photo: Kipsang Joseph/Standard)

Three people died in a tragic road accident at Migaa area near Salgaa, along Nakuru-Eldoret highway and five others were admitted to Rift Valley General Hospital (RVGH) in Nakuru.

The Sunday 2am accident, that occurred 24 hours after another which claimed five school boys, involved a passenger bus that was heading to Nairobi from Kisumu and a stationary saloon car.

Eight people have died at the blackspot since the New Year.

According to the area police boss Joseph Mwamburi, the passenger bus had a brake failure and was speeding during the early morning accident.

Mr Mwamburi said the driver to the passenger bus, who escaped immediately after the accident, lost control and hit the saloon car that was parked in a bus stop causing death of the three.

"The driver to the passenger bus was speeding and lost control of the vehicle, ramming into a parked personal vehicle at a bus stop," said Mwamburi.

Mwamburi said five occupants of the passenger bus who sustained injuries on the chest, head and arm were admitted to hospital in serious condition.

Passengers in the bus told The Standard that the vehicle had mechanical problem since they started their journey in Kisumu and was often stopping along the road.

Christine Adhiambo, 28-year-old passenger, said she was asleep only to be awaken by screams from other passengers who were crying for help.

The damaged vehicle belonging to Coast Bus Company that was involved in the dawn accident at Migaa. (Photo: Kipsang Joseph)

Adhiambo who sustained minor injuries, swollen face and head said she boarded the vehicle at around 9pm and after realising it had a problem, she contemplated alighting but she did not have extra money to book another vehicle.

"I have survived because of God’s mercies, the bus was not roadworthy and it kept undergoing repairs along the road. I wanted to alight but I feared because it was at night and I did not have extra money for fare," said Adhiambo in deep pain.

Elijah Suno, another passenger who complained of severe headache said he booked the bus on December 26 to enable him report back to work on Monday after Christmas holiday.

Suno said after leaving Kisumu town, passengers complained about reckless driving all in vain.

The survivor said he witnessed two people die in the personal vehicle. A young girl who was rescued from wrecked car died while undergoing treatment.

Tabitha Adhiambo, another passenger, said traffic police officers who were manning a road block at Awasi stopped to inspect the vehicle but they only checked driver's badge who slipped a folded note to the officers and allowed the vehicle proceed.

"Police stopped the vehicle at a roadblock, they checked only drivers badge only for the vehicle to stop several times along the road due to mechanical problems," she said.