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KU bus accident: 8 critically injured staff, students moved to Nairobi

The wreckage of vehicles involved in an accident in Voi on March 18, 2024, that left at least 11 Kenyatta University students dead. (Photo: Handout)

By Farhiya Hussein | Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Out of the 42 injured staff and students, eight were moved to Nairobi while the rest remained at the Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi.

Eight critically injured students and staff of Kenyatta University (KU), who were involved in a road accident in Taita Taveta County, on Monday, have been airlifted to Nairobi for advanced medical care.

According to the police, the accident occurred in Maungu, Voi, on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway, as the driver of the KU bus overtook a fleet of cars while it rained heavily. The police said the bus skidded to the right and that the truck driver ended up hitting it on the left side while avoiding a head-on collision

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“The total number of passengers in the university bus was 58. The students were 54 [in number and there was] one lab technician, one student chairman, and two drivers. Eleven were fatally injured—10 died on the spot and one on arrival at the hospital,” the report stated.

It added that 42 were wounded, four of them slightly, and that they were all taken to the Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi.

On Tuesday, air ambulances were stationed at the Ikanga Airstrip to transfer critical patients to other facilities. The eight were moved to the Avenue Hospital in Parklands, Nairobi, while the rest remained at Moi hospital.

KU Vice-Chancellor Paul Wainaina visited students and staff at the Moi hospital to assess their conditions and oversee the evacuation.

In a statement, Wainaina said KU sent a team from the main and the Mombasa campuses to the accident scene on Monday night to assess the situation, help survivors, and collect information for an accurate report.

"The team includes two doctors, medical personnel, university security officers, as well as student and staff wellness officers," he said, adding that the university would give updates later on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, KU has set up a help desk in room 151 of the Business Students Services Centre. It will also respond to queries and offer support via phone numbers 020 2310709 and 0723 352483.

KU also said it was planning to move the bodies to the mortuary at the Kenyatta Memorial Funeral Home at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital in Nairobi.