Six students die in Naivasha accident

Six students died on the spot following a grisly road accident in Delamare Naivasha, in Nakuru County.

The students from Friends of Mbihi secondary school in Mbale, Vihiga County had just closed school when the accident occurred along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

The accident occurred after the Nissan matatu, which was overtaking a fleet of vehicles, collided with an oncoming trailer near Delamere farm on Tuesday afternoon.

The injured students and the driver of the matatu were admitted in critical condition at Naivasha sub-county hospital while the occupants of the trailer escaped unhurt.

According to Naivasha OCPD Benjamin Bowen, the accident occurred after the driver of the ill-fated matatu tried to overtake a fleet of vehicles.

He added that in the process he met an oncoming trailer that was destined for Western Kenya and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision.

“In the process the matatu was hit on the left side and lost control, landing away from the highway, killing five of the girls on the spot,” he said.

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Bowen added that the injured were rushed to Naivasha sub-county hospital with three of them in critical condition after suffering from head injuries.

“The driver is in stable condition while three of the students are seriously injured and the wrecks have been towed to the police station,” he said.

The Director of education in Nakuru County Victoria Mulili said that two of the students were in stable condition after undergoing treatment at the hospital.

She added that they were making plans to transfer the seriously injured students to either KNH or Rift Valley PGH for specialized treatment.

“It’s a sad day that we have lost more students to another road accident and we are making plans to transfer the rest who are undergoing treatment,” she said.

Mulili added that they were in communication with education officers from Vihiga and the school management so that the next of kin could be informed.

The incident came barely a month after a bus ferrying Pwani University students and a Nissan matatu were involved in an accident on the highway killing 19 including nine students.

The brakes of the bus allegedly failed as it drove downhill near Kayole estate in Naivasha, hitting the rear of a Nissan matatu before crushing into a ditch.