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Ugandans among victims of Nairobi-bound bus crash at Lwakhakha
The wreckage of the Nairobi-bound bus that got involved in a road crash at Lwakhaha, Kenyan, killing 21 people on January 7, 2023. PHOTO/ URN
At least 4 people are confirmed dead and several others admitted to different health facilities after sustaining injuries in a road crash involving a Nairobi- bound bus travelling from Lwakhakha Border in Namisindwa District.
The crash occurred at Lwakhakha B village, located about five kilometer from Uganda-Kenya border after the driver of the bus Registration Number KCL 850M, which belongs to Nairobi Bus Company lost control and veered off the road on Saturday at 8pm.
Mr Mustafah Mulalira, the Officer in Charge of Lwakhakha police station, Uganda, said preliminary investigations indicate that the bus driver lost control and knocked a boda boda rider, a passenger with her child, killing them on spot.
“One person later passed on at the health centre on the Uganda side but others, who sustained injuries have been admitted in various hospitals, including Bungoma and Lwandanyi in Kenya,” he said, adding that they are still monitoring the situation.
Mr Mulalira said they have only identified the deceased boda boda rider as Fred, a resident of Lwakhakha on Ugandan side but the other three are yet to be identified.
The Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr Fredrick Bangu, said getting information about the crash from the Kenyan authorities was still a challenge for them.
“A video of a number of people dead with deep wounds, running on social media being attributed to this unfortunate bus accident is not true,” Mr Bangu said.
The Elgon regional Police spokesperson, Mr Rogers Taitika said the information they so far got indicated that some Ugandans died in the crash but they were still waiting for confirmation and updates from the Kenyan authorities.
“That accident happened in Kenya and we are awaiting an update from our Kenyan counterparts on the number of confirmed victims,” he said.
The LCIII chairperson of Lwakhakha town council, said most of the travellers on the bus were Ugandans, who were returning to work in Kenya after the festival season.
Ms Janet Tseboyi, a resident of Lwakhakha Town Council, said one of her relatives survived the crash with minor injuries.
“She was going back to Nairobi, where she works as a maid. She called and told me the bus driver lost control and plunged into a trench after knocking a boda boda rider,” Ms Tseboyi, said.
