31 March 2023

• Pwani University has postponed classes until Monday.

• The accident was caused by failed brakes.

Before the Pwani University bus grounded to a halt in the Kayole area accident in Naivasha, the driver had made frantic attempts to dodge the fate.

Survivors of the grisly accident that claimed the lives of seven students and three staff who were aboard the bus said the driver tried his best to take control of the vehicle but the brakes failed.

The driver is said to have advised students to put on their safety belts after seemingly realizing things were getting out of his control.

"It was bad luck that the brakes of our bus failed. The driver asked all of us to put on safety belts. Seemingly, he knew what was going to happen," a survivor recounted in an interview with the media.

"He tried controlling the vehicle and even aimed to hit bumps to bring it to a halt but that never worked."

The accident which occurred on Thursday has been linked to the failed brakes.

16 people died as a result of the accident.

Over 60 people were seriously injured and taken to Naivasha sub-county hospital before some were later transferred to Nakuru for specialised treatment.

Following the accident, learning at the university has been suspended.

In a memo by Vice Chancellor Mohamed Rajab, learning will resume on Monday.

The accident occurred after the bus that was heading to Nakuru from Nairobi developed some mechanical breakdown before hitting the matatu that was also headed in the same direction.

Both vehicles landed in a ditch trapping the occupants before members of the public came to their rescue while others died at the scene.

According to Naivasha OCPD Samuel Waweru, the full bus, was ferrying the students to Eldoret for college games when the accident occurred.

He said initial investigations indicated that the bus brakes system failed and in the process, the bus hit the Nissan matatu that had 14 passengers.

“We have so far lost 16 people to the accident and over 50 are undergoing treatment at the Naivasha sub-county hospital while the bodies have been taken to the local mortuary,” he said.

A witness John Mbogo narrated how the speeding bus missed several cars on the highway by a whisker before hitting the matatu.

He said on impact, the drivers of the two vehicles lost control and landed in a ditch seriously injuring the students and the passengers.

“The bus was moving at high speed and kept hooting before hitting the Nissan matatu and as a result, many people have died,” he said.