A burial trip ended in tragedy early Saturday morning when six men died in a road accident at Soysambu, along the Nakuru-Nairobi Highway.
Gilgil Sub-County Police Commander Wilstone Mwakio confirmed that the victims, all occupants of a Nissan Advance, died on the spot after their vehicle collided head-on with a Promise Company bus.
Mwakio said the personal car was heading to Nairobi while the bus was en route to Nakuru. Preliminary investigations indicate that the accident was caused by the bus driver, who allegedly overtook carelessly.
He urged drivers to exercise caution, particularly during the rainy season and as the festive period approaches.
Families of some victims identified the bodies with sorrow and anguish.
George Ogunde lost his brother, David Madara, in the crash. He said Madara, 43, and five friends were returning from a burial in Nyakach, Kisumu County, when the accident occurred.
Ogunde described the tragedy as shocking, recalling that he had planned a schedule with his brother upon his return to Nairobi.
Madara, a welder who ran a workshop in Chokaa, Hurlingham, Nairobi, was remembered as generous, caring, and dependable.
Peter Ouma, another sibling, said Madara had been the thread holding the family together, while Michael Okong’o described him as a brother who acted as the family’s eldest, providing support and guidance.
The accident comes just three weeks after 14 people were killed in another crash at Kariandusi, Gilgil, along the same highway on September 28.
