This archive report was first published on 5 October 2019.
On October 4, 2019, a devastating bus accident occurred on the Kericho-Kisumu road, claiming the lives of 13 people and leaving many others injured.
Caroline Kalekye Odhiambo, a mother of two, was among the passengers on the Eldoret Express bus that was traveling from Luanda Kotieno in Uyoma, Siaya County, to Nairobi.
She was traveling with her two sons, Christopher Odhiambo, 2, and Januarys Ochieng’, 6. Caroline chose to carry little Christopher while two fellow passengers on the adjacent seats offered to squeeze January between them.
As the bus approached Pala, three kilometers after Awasi trading center, the driver attempted to apply emergency brakes, but it was too late. The bus swerved to the right and collided with an oncoming truck, resulting in a horrific crash.
Caroline recalled the events from her hospital bed at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), where she was taken for treatment.
When she came to, little Christopher was no more. Miraculously, Januarys had survived.
The bus driver, Peter Kariuki, 50, was an experienced driver who had done everything possible to avert the accident, according to the bus conductor, Peter Kamande.
However, despite the accident occurring just after 11pm, emergency services did not arrive at the scene until after 1am the next day, two hours later.
Rescue operations were led by Nyanza regional police boss Vincent Makokha and his Kisumu county counterpart Benson Maweu.
At the scene of the accident, the Saturday Nation found the heavily damaged vehicles and blood-stained personal effects of the passengers strewn over a 50-meter radius.
