Twelve people died in a grisly accident at Sogea near Gilgil on Sunday morning.

All the people who perished during the 3 am accident along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway were passengers in a bus christened Climax. They were heading to Nairobi from Western Kenya.

The Climax bus driver and a 10-year-old girl were among the dead. The occupants of the trailer escaped unhurt.

Gilgil police boss Emmanuel Opuru told the Star on the phone 25 people were injured. The bodies were taken to a mortuary in Gilgil.

He said initial investigations show the bus driver was to blame for the accident.

The driver was overtaking another lorry when the bus hit the trailer.

Survivor Amos Maobe, who was unhurt, said the ill-fated bus left Vihiga on Saturday evening.

He blames the bus driver for the accident. Maobe said the driver underestimated the speed of the trailer when he was overtaking the lorry. He said

The driver of the trailer swerved to the right to avoid a head-collision and the bus rammed into its side.

Maobe along the way, some passengers had pleaded with the driver to slow down but he ignored them.

Another survivor Antony Wafula, who fractured his leg, said passengers screamed before the bus hit the trailer.

He said the driver was careless and rude. Wafula said had the driver listened to the passengers, the accident may not have occurred. He said;

The driver was speeding and he ignored passengers who were seated next to him who told him to slow down.

The bus conductor, Isaac Mbugua, who suffered head injuries, however, blamed the driver of the lorry they were overtaking for failing to give way. He said;

Our bus was trapped in between the other cars. The driver died at the scene.

Credits: The Star