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Nine killed, 17 injured after bus plunges into Mbagathi River

The scene of a bus accident along Ushirika Road on May 18, 2024, which left at least nine people dead and 17 wounded. (Photos: Handout)

By Mary Wambui | Saturday, May 18, 2024

Preliminary findings showed that the driver lost control of the bus, which then veered off the road and plunged into the river.

At least nine people died while 17 sustained injuries on Saturday morning when a bus heading to Nairobi plunged into the Mbagathi River along Ushirika Road.

The police said six people died at the scene and the rest at various hospitals following the Naboka Sacco bus accident.

Preliminary findings showed that the driver lost control of the bus, which then veered off the road and plunged into the river.

"Thirteen individuals have been hospitalised following a PSV minibus accident near Hardy Police Station in Karen. The minibus lost control and overturned, prompting a swift emergency response [sic]," the Kenya Red Cross, which was among the first respondents, said earlier.

According to the latest data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Nairobi recorded 176 road crash deaths between January 1 and April 30, 2024.

Kangundo, Mombasa, and Outering roads each accounted for 12 fatalities, while Waiyaki Way followed with 10 deaths in the period under review.

The Eastern bypass, Juja, and Ngong roads followed, with the report showing seven people perished on each of the roads over the same period.

Kamukunji's Yusuf Haji Avenue was among the five roads with the least number of fatalities, each of them accounting for one. The others were Zimmerman, Wanyie, Wundanyi, and Masimba.

Pedestrians in Nairobi accounted for the largest number of deaths, at 89, while motorcyclists numbered 34. In the same period, at least 20 passengers lost their lives in road crashes.

"Drivers and pillion passengers each recorded 12 fatalities from road crashes," reads the report.

In the first four months of 2024, nine pedal cyclists lost their lives in road accidents.