Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has mourned 22 people killed in a grisly road accident at Kanga, past Mtito Andei, along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway on Sunday.
Gachagua expressed condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the crash, describing the tragedy as a painful ordeal for the country.
“The disastrous crash at Mtito Andei today, which has robbed our nation of 22 lives, is a painful ordeal for all of us as the people of Kenya,” he said.
He also wished those injured a quick recovery and prayed for the souls of the deceased.
“May the Almighty God grant eternal rest to our dear Kenyans who have lost their lives,” Gachagua said.
The former Deputy President urged motorists to exercise caution as the country approaches the Christmas festivities, when many Kenyans travel to their rural homes for the holidays.
He noted that the ongoing rainy season required heightened vigilance from road users to minimise accidents.
Gachagua also called on authorities responsible for road safety to take measures to protect motorists and passengers on highways.
“No Kenyan, no human being deserves to lose a life out of negligence and recklessness,” he said.
On Sunday, twenty-two people were confirmed dead, and several others injured following a head-on collision involving a bus and a lorry along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
The accident occurred at around 7 am on Sunday in the Kanga area, past Mtito Andei, according to officials.
The crash brought traffic to a standstill along the busy highway as travellers and passersby gathered near the scene.
Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif confirmed the deaths, saying several other passengers sustained injuries in the collision.
The bus was reportedly ferrying passengers returning from a burial ceremony when it collided head-on with the lorry.
The injured were rushed to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital, where they are receiving treatment, while the bodies of those who died were taken to the hospital’s mortuary.
Sources told The Star that the casualties were occupants of a bus that was travelling from Mombasa general direction towards Nairobi when the accident occurred in Kanga area, Kibwezi East Sub-County.
Some of the passengers reportedly died on the spot while others succumbed to injuries while being attended to at Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital.
Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Kevin Wamalwa said the accident happened between 7 am and 8 am.
"It is a serious accident. We are attending to those who have survived," Wamalwa told reporters.
Wamalwa said he received a phone call about the accident immediately after he got to the facility, some minutes to 8 am.
"We are compiling a list of casualties. Some died while undergoing treatment," Wamalwa said.
The cause of the accident had not been established by the time of publication. The highway is marked as one of the leading causes of fatal accidents in the country.
