Africa-Press – Kenya. Survivors of the fatal Karai road accident that took place on January 5, along the Nakuru highway, have recounted moments before the early morning accident, claiming that the bus driver was driving recklessly.
Speaking to the media while receiving treatment at the Naivasha District Hospital, the survivors who had boarded the Greenline bus claimed that the accident was caused by the bus driver, who had ignored earlier warnings from the passengers.
The survivors claim that the bus driver was speeding along the busy highway, despite pleas from passengers to regulate the vehicle’s speed.
“The driver was overspeeding. We tried talking to him, but he would not listen. From the start of the journey, he was frequently over-speeding,” one of the survivors claimed.
Further, the passengers alleged the driver appeared sleepy for a greater part of the journey before the accident took place.
Despite calls to have the driver substituted for a different one, the passengers claim the bus conductor snubbed their requests. They claim that the driver seemed tired and sleepy on the way to Nairobi, prompting the passengers to ask the bus conductor to try keeping the driver awake.
“Before we got to Naivasha, the driver appeared dizzy. I told the conductor to tell him to stop at Naivasha and wash his face with water,” another passenger recounted.
The survivor claims that the driver appeared to have been overworked, urging the bus company to allocate two drivers for a bus, saying that it would prevent road accidents.
It was also claimed that the driver appeared disoriented, presumably because of the use of a stimulant to keep him awake during the journey.
Moments before the accident, the survivors claimed that the bus was trying to avoid colliding with a Toyota Premio and ended up colliding with the Nissan.
“When we got to the petrol station, we found a Premio coming out and our bus was at high speed; when the driver tried to avoid a collision and went to the other lane, where we met a Nissan, we had a head-on collision,” the survivor recounted.
The accident, which took place at around 2 am, occurred after the Greenline bus collided head-on with a Nanyuki Cabs shuttle.
Ten people have since been confirmed dead, with nine victims perishing on the scene. Eight of the deceased were from the shuttle, while one child aboard the ill-fated bus lost his life. The other passenger succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment.
