This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
On July 13, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya flagged off a water project worth Ksh90 million in Shinyalu, Kakamega County. However, the event has sparked controversy after it was discovered that the vehicle used, a lorry, retains the same number plate as a Homeboyz bus involved in a fatal crash in Kericho County.
The Homeboyz bus, which was involved in a crash on October 10, 2018, killing at least 55 people in Fort Ternan, Kericho County, had its registration plate changed to KBX 092J. However, records from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) show that the owner of the bus, Cleophas Shimanyula, applied to change the particulars of the vehicle on June 11, 2019.
Shimanyula applied to change the particulars of the vehicle, including the body type from bus to lorry, colour from red to grey, number of passengers from 62 to three, and the tax class from PSV to commercial. The registration plate, however, remained valid.
Shimanyula paid a total of Ksh1, 450 for the change of particulars, which included a change of class fee of Ksh300, change of body colour fee of Ksh300, change of body type fee of Ksh300, change of particulars on logbook fee of Ksh500, and a convenience fee of Ksh50.
The applications were approved on January 17, 2020.
