Tragedy visits two Nyanza schools as eight students perish in road accidents
Eyewitnesses claim the car was moving at an alarming speed, and there are suspicions that the driver may have been intoxicated at the time of the crash
Two grisly separate road accidents have claimed eight casualties that are school going students today in Kisumu and Homabay counties. This follows the recent deaths of seven family members in an accident at Naivasha.
Both mishaps happened to students of Mbita High School and Ober Boys Secondary School who were traveling home for holidays following school break for Term 1.
Five students from Mbita Boys High School were knocked down by a speeding personal car in Mbita town, Homa Bay County, while they were heading home for the April holidays. Reports suggest that the five students were walking near the Mbita International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) when the car lost control and hit them.
Eyewitnesses claim the car was moving at an alarming speed, and there are suspicions that the driver may have been intoxicated at the time of the crash. The injured students were quickly rushed to Homa Bay County Referral Hospital for urgent medical attention. In a statement, the school management said injured students were rushed to Prince Richard Hospital and Mbita Level 4 Hospital.
Meanwhile, Governor Anyan’g Nyon’go extended his remorse and commiserations to the families of three pupils of Ober Primary School who lost their lives in yet another tragic road accident along the Sondu-Katito Highway.
The accident that occurred exactly at Kibuon area in Nyakach sub-county claimed four lives in total including one adult. During the accident, several people were injured, including pupils from Ober Boys Primary School, who were heading to school when the matatu collided with a truck. Witnesses rushed to the scene and retrieved some persons under the wreckage rushing the injured to Nyabondo Mission Hospital.
Governor Nyong’o in a statement mourned the fallen while urging for more care on the roads. He also urged the authorities to hasten investigations and get to the bottom of the matter.
“On behalf of the people of Kisumu County, I convey heartfelt condolences to teachers, pupils, and parents of Ober Boys Boarding School for this great loss of lives of the pupils who were traveling to their homes for the April holidays,” he said.
The governor added that it is unfortunate to lose such young souls in a tragic accident that could have been avoided had the drivers of the two vehicles taken the required caution and adhered to professionalism.
“I wish to appeal to the police to immediately launch detailed investigations into this accident to establish the cause and take appropriate action to individuals whose mistakes may have led to the crash. My heart goes to the parents and relatives of those who perished in the accident. I also wish quick recovery to those admitted in hospitals with injuries,” he said.
