Five injured as bus and truck collide on Lamu-Mombasa road

Five people have been injured in a collision involving a passenger bus belonging to the Simba Coach bus and a lorry in Witu along the Lamu-Mombasa road.

Speaking to the Nation Sunday morning, Lamu County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri said the bus was headed to Nairobi from Mpeketoni when the incident happened.

The injured passengers were rushed to the Witu Dispensary for treatment.

The bus had at least 50 passengers on board during the time of the crash.

MINOR INJURIES

“There was a freak accident involving a Simba Coach [bus] and a lorry just metres past Witu town. Five passengers have sustained minor injuries. They have already been rushed to Witu health centre for treatment and possible discharge. The wreckage of the bus was towed to Witu Police Station. [There are] no fatalities,” said Mr Kanyiri.

The county commissioner said the cause of the crash could not be established immediately but was quick to say that there is a possibility of negligence on the part of the drivers involved.

“The cause of the accident is being investigated but it looks like negligence. The bus was headed to Nairobi and the place where the incident happened is very open,” he said.

SAFEGUARD LIVES

He said despite the bad state of the road at some points, drivers still have a duty to ensure the lives of the passengers are safeguarded by observing all traffic rules including driving at the required speed.

The incident comes just a day after a Mombasa Raha bus travelling from Lamu to Mombasa veered off the road in Witu.

No one was injured during the incident.

In December 2017, several passengers were injured in a crash involving a Simba Coach bus at Lango la Simba in Lamu.

ROAD CONSTRUCTION

In 2016, a passenger died and scores of others were injured after a Lamu-bound bus veered off the road and rolled several times in Mkunumbi, Lamu West.

The national government has already awarded a Sh10.8 billion tender for the construction of the Lamu-Garsen road which has been in a dilapidated state since independence.

Locals interviewed by the Nation on Sunday attributed the frequent crashes being witnessed in Lamu to the bad state of the road.

Mr Hillary Kamande said he is confident that once the road is built, the crashes will greatly reduce.

“The road has so many potholes and this is a challenge to our drivers. In fact, most of the accidents witnessed are directly caused by the bad state of our road. We believe once the construction is complete, the accidents will greatly reduce,” said Mr Kamande.