Fourteen people were killed and seven others critically injured on Thursday morning in a matatu accident on the Katito-Kendu Bay road in Kisumu.
Nyanza Traffic Commander Andrew Naibei said 11 died on the spot at Daima —a black spot — during the 6.15am accident.
The driver, said to be speeding, lost control at the blind spot where the matatu veered off the road and crashed into a culvert at Pap Onditi.
Three people succumbed to the injuries at Nyabondo Mission Hospital.Four others are in stable condition.
The Sirare-Kisumu-Nairobi bound 14-seater matatu carried 18 passengers. Passersby and bystanders were among the dead and injured. The deceased included the driver, a high school student heading back to school, an infant, an 11-year-old and eight adults. A woman, Rebecca Juma and her two- and 11-year-old children died. Her two other children are in critical condition.
She boarded the vehicle at Kolweny with her four children and headed to to Katito, where her pharmacist husband works.
Her relatives said it is sad Rebecca and her children could not make the six-minute journey.
Naibei said they suspected the driver had been speeding from Sirare to Kisumu town.
At the scene, clothing, books, and goods of all sorts were scattered about.
Nyakach subcounty police chief Henry Malova said an investigation is underway. He said they are yet to identify the school where the deceased student was headed. The matatu is registered under Sirareline Prestige Sacco.
“We are investigating the incident to establish the cause of the accident. We will make the findings public once we conclude,” Naibei said.
A driver, who plies the same route, said by 5am the matatu passed Pap Onditi to Kisumu.
“It is a popular matatu, as it usually moves fast and keeps time. I hear it hooting early in the morning because my home is not far from the road,” a resident said.
The injured were rushed to Pap Onditi Subcounty Hospital and later transferred to Nyabondo Mission Hospital.
The wreckage was towed to Katito police post.