Naivasha Crash: Bus Driver Ignored Passengers’ Pleas to Slow Down, Families Say
The accident, involving a Greenline bus and a matatu, occurred on Monday near Karai Centre in Naivasha as the bus was travelling from Western Kenya to Nairobi. Six adults and three minors were killed on the spot
By : Mweru Mbugua
Victims and relatives of those killed in a deadly road accident in Naivasha that claimed nine lives have blamed reckless driving and weak enforcement by the Ministry of Transport for the rising number of fatal crashes in the country
The accident, involving a Greenline bus and a matatu, occurred on Monday near Karai Centre in Naivasha as the bus was travelling from Western Kenya to Nairobi. Six adults and three minors were killed on the spot
As families and survivors began the painful process of identifying the bodies at the Naivasha Sub-County Hospital mortuary, they accused public service vehicle (PSV) operators of flouting safety regulations, including operating defective vehicles and travelling at night to evade traffic police checks
Survivors said the driver of the ill-fated bus ignored repeated pleas from passengers to slow down despite concerns over speeding
Faith Auma, who lost her three-year-old son in the crash, recounted how passengers repeatedly approached the driver along the journey, urging him to reduce speed
“He ignored everyone and said he had a deadline to meet,” Auma said. “He then attempted a careless overtake and rammed into an oncoming matatu. I survived with minor injuries, but I lost my only child”
Joseph Kundu, who also lost a relative, faulted the Ministry of Transport for what he described as failure to rein in dangerous driving practices
“Accidents are killing Kenyans every day, yet nothing seems to be changing,” Kundu said, adding that speeding and driving under the influence had become common among bus drivers
He noted that accidents tend to increase during school reopening periods, calling on authorities to act decisively instead of remaining silent
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Similar sentiments were echoed by Gabriel Juma, another bereaved relative, who questioned the effectiveness of crackdowns by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and traffic police
“The condition of some of these buses is very poor. That is why they prefer travelling at night, and the result is fatal accidents like this one,” Juma said
Augustine Mucheke, who lost his 14-year-old niece who was travelling from Kimilili to Nairobi, described the crash as one of the darkest moments of his life
“This is a loss that could have been avoided,” Mucheke said. “It is painful to lose a young life in such circumstances”
The tragedy has renewed calls for stricter enforcement of road safety regulations and tougher action against rogue PSV operators as Kenya continues to record high numbers of road accident fatalities
