Kin recount last moments before five perished in crash

Grieving relatives of five members of two families who died in a road accident in Kakamega last Tuesday recalled their last communication with their loved ones.

The five perished after their vehicle plunged into river Liwondwe on the Buyangu-Ekero road in Kakamega County. The two families of 10 were travelling to a village in Butula for Christmas celebrations.

Gladys Onyuma yesterday recalled the last communication she had with her son Ferdinand Otieno.

On December 23, Otieno called his mother to notify her he was travelling to Mauko in Butula constituency to join the family for Christmas.

The 25-year-old was jovial, according to his mother. He requested his mother to prepare some food and keep it inside his house so that he could eat once he arrived home.

After keeping the food in Otieno’s house, Ms Onyuma went to sleep eager to see her son the next morning. That was never to be.

Onyuma called Otieno at around 4am to find out where they had reached, but the phone was not going through.

At 5.30am, she heard people wailing from her neighbour’s home. Out of curiosity, she rushed out to inquire what had happened. 

And the bad news came. Otieno had died in an accident. 

“It was the worst news since I had talked to my son more than five times, even up to late hours, just to know how they were progressing with the journey,” said Onyuma.

Otieno graduated from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology on December 6, 2019, and had travelled to Nairobi to visit his brother.

Since they hailed from the same village in Mauko, Otieno called Simon Oliero who lived in Narok to hitch a lift home.

Oliero drove to Nairobi and picked Otieno some few minutes past 7pm. The vehicle had 10 people.

The 36-year-old Simon, his wife Eunice and daughter Yvone died on the spot.

Simon reportedly called his step-mother Consolata Anyango on December 23 to let her know that they were travelling home to celebrate Christmas.

Anyango was yesterday nursing her two grandchildren who survived the accident with head injuries.

“He was the sole breadwinner of the family. It is a big blow to us,” said Ms Anyango.

Simon’s aunt Wilbroda said he was travelling home to celebrate Christmas with his family members.

“I have stayed with Simon for many years in Narok. He rarely travelled home for Christmas,” said Wilbroda.

She continued: ”When they left Narok, they were very happy. I bid them bye and wished them well only to hear that they had been involved in a grisly road accident.”

The accident claimed five people and left others nursing some critical injuries.

Dismas Oliero, 32, is still in Intensive Care Unit at the Kakamega General Hospital while Seraphine, 22, is admitted at the same hospital. The two are Simon’s cousins.

The bodies were taken to Butula mortuary.

The bereaved families said yesterday they were unable to foot funeral expenses.

Area MCA Julius Ochou was busy mobilising resources to ensure that the deceased get a decent send-off.

Vinicus Ochola, Simon’s step-father, said the hospital bill at the Kakamega General Hospital was high.  

“It is very difficult for us. We do not know where we shall get money to pay the bill of our son who is in the ICU and the one in the ward,” said Mr Ochola.