MBALE – An accident, in which a Nairobi-bound bus from Mbale City crashed in Lwakakha on Saturday night – claimed the lives of at least 21 people as many more were left in critical condition, Kenya police authorities, confirmed on Sunday.
Unspecified number of Ugandans are reported to be among 21 people killed as 49 others were admitted in two separate hospitals on the Kenyan side with serious injuries.
Lwakhakha is one of the municipal centres in Manafwa district – Eastern Uganda, located across the international border with Kenya.
Patrict Kitau, the District Police Commander, Bungoma district in Kenya, narrated that the crash occurred around 8:00pm on Saturday in Lwakhaha – three kilometres inside Kenya.
According to Kitau, the dead were traveling on a bus Reg. No. KCL 850M, belonging to Nairobi Bus Company, which veered off the road – overturning several times.
He said preliminary investigations pointed at over speeding as the cause of the accident.
Kitau said police was trying to verify the identities of the deceased crash victims – but confirmed that majority of them were Ugandans.
The dead were ferried to Chepteyis and Lwandanyi hospital mortuaries awaiting identification from their relatives while the injured were receiving treatment at the same facilities.
“Today (Saturday) there was a fatal road crash involving Nairobi bus Reg. No. KCL 850M at Lwakhakha B in Kenya – killing a good number of people.
“It’s confirmed that among the dead are eight Ugandans,” said the Elgon regional Police spokesperson – Rogers Taitika, in a statement.
According to an eyewitness, the bus was moving at a terrible speed and failed to negotiate small corner – veering off the road. The witnessed said the driver is believed to have been drunk.
According to an eyewitness, the bus was moving at a terrible speed and failed to negotiate small corner – veering off the road. The witnessed said the driver is believed to have been drunk.
Meanwhile, at least 91 people were rushed to a health facility on Saturday on suspicion that they had been poisoned. It is alleged that the victims were served food at a funeral for the late Samuel Katuro in Kitahurira cell, Kashasha parish in Nkumba sub-county in Rubanda district.
