Siaya fuel tanker explosion: Leaders blame Kenha as 19 victims buried

It was a day of pain compounded by tough statements to authorities as 19 victims of the Malanga fuel tanker explosion were finally laid to rest.

On the night of July 17, a fuel tanker which was in transit burst into flames along Kisumu–Busia Highway, in Malanga at North Gem Ward in Gem Sub-County.

Thirteen people died at the scene while several others were rushed to various hospitals with serious burn wounds.

Nine of them died at Siaya County Referral Hospital, having suffered burns to over 60 percent of the body surface, raising the death toll to 22.

Ahead of the burials on Friday, families started streaming into the Yala Sub-County Hospital morgue as early as 6am, where 13 unclaimed bodies were being preserved, to pick their kin for burial.

However, there were only 11 coffins and the same number of hearses as the other two victims were yet to be identified. 

Brief prayer sessions took place at the morgue before every family collected its kin’s body for burial.

A planned mass service which was to be held at the Mutumbu chief's camp was shelved due to  the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eight other bodies were collected from the Siaya County Referral Hospital morgue as one - of Kevin Odhiambo Okoth - was collected last week.

In total, 19 victims of the tragedy were buried on Friday.

Longer wait for some

For the two families yet to receive DNA test results, Siaya County said further forensic testing has to be done.

Mrs Hellen Auma has been waiting for close to a month to find out whether her brother, 22-year-old Samuel Omondi Oduor, was among the 13 people whose bodies were taken to Yala hospital mortuary.

When she went to the morgue on Friday, after multiple tests were carried out on her and her siblings, she hoped she would find her brother’s body but this wasn’t the case.

“I have been here numerous times. My samples have been taken. I have viewed the body and I have a feeling that is my brother. Why can’t they just release the body and end our agony?”

Ms Prezzy Omondi said she was yet to be given the remains of her sister, 22-year-old Sharon Adhiambo, to bury.

A grave has been dug at their home in Komenya, she said, noting they were sure they would be able to collect the remains but were told they needed to wait longer.

Their parents died so there were no samples to use in the testing.

“I have been here every day. I have been seeing my sister in my dreams for the past few weeks, calling on me. Let these people just give me my sister's body since the other family has confirmed their relative was a man. The logical conclusion is that the remaining body is a woman’s,” she said.

Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga said, however, that it is only through further tests that they can ascertain identities and surrender bodies to families.

“As is required by law, DNA analysis was undertaken to help with identification of bodies which were burnt beyond recognition. This was followed by postmortem examinations on all bodies. The two will be subjected to further tests so that we hand over the right bodies to the families,” said the governor.

Authorities blamed

Meanwhile, politicians led by Governor Rasanga, Dr George Jalang’o Midiwo and North Gem MCA Nick Ocholla say authorities are to blame for the tragedy.

“This tragedy happened because of the sheer negligence of the Kenya National Highways Authority since the road is narrow and has bumps in all the wrong places. The authority must erect proper road signs and make the key road safe for motorists and residents,” said Dr Midiwo.

The leaders, however, asked residents to keep away from such accident scenes.

As of Friday, seven victims of the explosion were being treated at the Yala hospital while 13 were at the county referral hospital.

Four patients were treated at the referral facility and discharged while one was attended to at Inuka Hospital and also sent home.

The governor said all the 20 people are making good recovery progress.

Siaya County supported all the families in various ways in the aftermath of the tragedy. 

It oversaw deployment of firefighting engines and transportation of patients to hospitals. The county also oversaw the postmortems and helped the families to acquire coffins.

The families were also assisted financially.

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