Deadly Nyanja black spot crash four victims identified as calls grow for highway redesign

The bodies of four of the seven people who died following Thursday night's road accident at the Nyanja black spot along the Nakuru–Eldoret highway have been positively identified by their families.

Relatives streamed into Londiani Sub-County Hospital on Saturday, where they identified their loved ones as postmortem examinations continued.

Among those who turned up at the hospital was Stephen Odunga, who had come to identify the body of his sister, Susan, a teacher at Lyons School in Nakuru.

Odunga said the two had spoken earlier on Thursday after he reached out to her over an electricity bill. She told him she had already left home and was travelling.

"The last time we spoke, which was yesterday, I had called her about an electricity bill, but she told me she had already left and was in the vehicle," he said.

When he was unable to reach her later that night, Odunga began searching for her, making inquiries with police before being directed to Londiani Sub-County Hospital.

"I kept trying to reach her, but there was no response. I made inquiries with the police and was eventually directed to the hospital. Finally, I found my sister," he said.

Odunga described her as a dedicated Early Childhood Development (ECD) teacher at Lions Academy.

Another grieving family identified the body of Betty Rotich, 40, who was returning to Eldoret after attending an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) retreat in Naivasha.

Caleb Rotich, a resident of Kaptagat in Uasin Gishu County, said Betty had remained in constant communication with their sister throughout Friday before her phone went unanswered at night.

"They spoke until about 8 pm after which her phone went unanswered. The following morning, we called again, and someone else answered, informing us that she had been involved in an accident and that we should rush to Londiani Sub-County Hospital. We were not expecting to find her dead; it is heartbreaking," he said.

"We have identified her body and found she sustained injuries to the head and leg. As a family, we want the body transferred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital so that it is closer to home," he said.

He called on the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to redesign the notorious stretch of the Nakuru-Eldoret highway, noting that it has become a black spot that has claimed lives.

Medical Superintendent Dr. Collins Kipkoech said four bodies were still awaiting identification even as the hospital completed postmortem examinations on those already identified

"We have been able to identify three bodies and perform postmortem examinations on them this morning. We were able to ascertain that most sustained severe head injuries were caused by the high-impact trauma," he said.

For many families, the journey to the mortuary marked the painful confirmation of fears after hours of searching for missing relatives who had been travelling along the busy highway.

At the same time, five survivors remain admitted to referral hospitals in Nakuru after sustaining serious injuries in the crash.

"Five survived and we referred them to different hospitals in Nakuru," Dr. Kipkoech said.

He noted that all the survivors suffered head injuries of varying severity, with some also sustaining fractures and chest injuries.

"For the five patients that we referred elsewhere, all of them had head injuries ranging from severe, moderate, and mild. Some had fractures of the lower limb, especially of the tibia and the fibula, and some had blunt chest trauma. We referred them for surgical interventions," he said.

The accident occurred at around 8:30 pm on Thursday at the notorious Nyanja black spot in Kuresoi North, after a trailer travelling towards Nakuru reportedly lost control, veered into the opposite lane, and collided head-on with an oncoming Nissan Hiace matatu headed towards Eldoret.

According to Kuresoi North Sub-County Police Commander John Kimutai, the matatu was travelling in its rightful lane when the trailer crossed over and rammed into it.

Dr. Kipkoech said the hospital received the victims at around 9 pm and immediately began emergency treatment.

“We received victims of a road traffic accident. We assisted them. Unfortunately, seven succumbed- four males and three females," he said.