Survivors: After fits and starts, bus hit Nithi bridge
Survivors of the Nithi bus accident yesterday recounted the perilous journey that claimed 35 lives on Sunday night.
Speaking to People Daily from various hospitals where they are recuperating, they said the bus developed mechanical problems soon after leaving Meru town and had to make several stops for check-ups.
One of the survivors, Johannes Ariyo Otieno, from Kisumu but currently residing in Mombasa, was travelling back to the coastal city from Maua, Meru county, where he had attended his son’s dowry negotiations.
On the way, driver Paul Kamau made a phone call to a mechanic who checked on the bus before it proceeded.
“The bus had a problem with the starter but the driver struggled with it until it worked. We continued with the journey to Meru town where we picked more passengers,” said Otieno.
“We noticed the driver was having difficulties changing gears and had to slow down whenever he was driving downhill, indicating the brakes were faulty,” added Otieno.
Brakes failing
Matters came to a head as the bus approached Nithi River. It became clear to the passengers that the brakes were failing, Otieno recounted.
“We watched in horror as the bus swerved from one end of the road to the other before hitting the safety barriers and plunging into the river,” he said.
As he received treatment at Chuka hospital yesterday, Otieno did not know the whereabouts of his son and fiancée, who were also in the bus.
His other son, John Ochieng, also suffered injuries and has been referred to a Nairobi hospital for further treatment.
Otieno said he lost consciousness and only came to moments after the crash. He struggled to save himself, just like the passenger next to him, whose safety belt was fastened.
As Otieno assisted him to remove the seatbelt, a rescue team arrived and they were taken to Chuka hospital, where they are still recuperating.
Another survivor, Hassan Mukoko, a student at Meru National Polytechnic, sustained a leg fracture during the accident. He said he was headed to Mombasa to visit his parents, who were also to meet his child for the first time. By yesterday evening, he had neither seen both the child and wife.
“My leg broke twice and it was really painful as I was being rescued. Moments later, I lost consciousness. When I came to, I found myself on this hospital bed,” said Mukoko.
Bishop Danison Wiseman, another survivor, was enroute to Mombasa to preach when tragedy struck. The bishop is fighting for his life at Kenyatta National Referral Hospital, Nairobi, where he was transferred from Chuka Hospital on Monday.
He recalled boarding bus in Meru town at around 5.20pm Sunday. He made a short prayer and then called his wife, Elosy Gakii, before embarking on the doomed journey.
“When I got into the bus, I prayed and then called my wife to inform her the journey would take about six hours,” he added.
Like Otieno, Wiseman said the bus exhibited signs of mechanical problems and even stopped on the way for mechanical check-up. The bishop, who hails from Murathankari in Imenti North sub-county of Meru county, said the mechanical hitches least bothered him since he was listening to gospel music.
Glued to phones
The bishop, who ministers at Gospel Trumpet Ministry Church in Kariene, Imenti Central, said most passengers did not see the looming danger as they were glued to their mobile phones.
“I could sense the vehicle had some problems because, when breaking, it would produce a funny sound and the driver would move at a slow speed. At some point, I got worried and asked the passenger next to me whether the vehicle was in good condition,” he added.
“The last thing I remember is someone asking me if I am alive. I found myself in hospital,” recalled Wiseman.
His wife told ‘People Daily’ that the family learnt of the accident through social media. “I panicked because we had spoken at about 5pm before he left. I kept on calling his mobile phone but it was not going through. When I saw the wreckage of the bus on social media, I concluded he was not alive. I cried all night long,” said Gakii.
The following morning she travelled to Chuka hospital, only to be told by doctors that her husband had been transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital.
