Pedestrian Killed As Modern Coast Bus Plunges Into River In Kisii

UPDATE: Modern Coast Express has now said that none of the 43 passengers in one of its buses died after it plunged into Nyakomisaro River in Kisii County.

The company stated on Wednesday, December 28 that the bus travelling from Mombasa was enroute to Homa Bay when the accident occurred.

"Our bus from Mombasa to Homabay in Kisii was reversing down a steep murram road to park down a slope when it hit a matatu. As a result the driver panicked and the bus slid down and fell on its side into a ditch.

"All 43 passengers alighted safely and some with minor injuries were taken for treatment whilst others are continuing their journeys with a replacement bus. Contrary to reports circulating on social media, there were no passenger casualties," the company explained.

One person was killed on Wednesday, December 28 and several others injured after a Modern Coast bus plunged into Nyakomisaro River In Kisii County.

Sikika Road Safety, which was the first to report the incident, shared a video of residents leading rescue efforts for the passengers that might have been trapped in the bus at the time of the incident.

Reports indicated that the driver of the bus lost control and veered off the road before plunging into the river in Masosa area, a suburb in the County capital.

Scene after a Modern Coast bus plunged into Nyakomisaro River In Kisii County on December 28, 2022. /TWITTER.MA3ROUTE

A pedestrian was, however, killed when the vehicle slid off the tarmac and hit him.

The injured were attended to in various hospitals where they were rushed to for emergency treatment. Kisii Central police boss Amos Ambasa confirmed the incident.

The Modern Coast bus was en route to Tanzania from Mombasa according to preliminary information.

The cause of the driver losing control and veering off the road during the crash was yet to be established by the time of publishing.

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) had suspended operations of all Modern Coast Buses after the grisly road accident at River Nithi along the Meru-Nairobi highway on Sunday, July 24.

NTSA Director General George Njao revealed on Monday, July 25 that all 31 buses operating under the company traversing all the seven routes had been halted from operations.

The authority also announced that it was investigating the accident that claimed at least 34 lives.

"Following a fatal road traffic crash that occurred on Sunday 24th July 2022 at the Nithi Bridge, Tharaka Nithi County that has since claimed the lives of 33 passengers, the Authority hereby halts the operations of Modern Coast Express Limited.

"A thorough multi-agency investigation into the crash and an evaluation of the operator's safety operational standards is currently underway. We condole with the families of those who lost their loved ones in this tragic crash and wish a quick recovery to those undergoing treatment," read the statement in part.

The routes affected were Nairobi-Mombasa, Mombasa-Mtwapa - Kilifi - Malindi - Witu - Mpeketoni - Lamu as well as Nairobi-Nakuru - Kisumu - Kakamega - Busia.

The other four routes were Nairobi - Nakuru - Kisumu - Eldoret - Malaba, Nairobi-Narok - Kisii - Homabay - Migori - Isibania, Mombasa - Makindu - Wote - Kitui - Machakos and Nairobi - Thika - Embu - Meru - Maua.

It waw however unclear whether or not NTSA allowed Modern Coast back into the routes, especially the Kisii route.

The crash came after Kenyans had initially complained of the ill-fated bus, whose registration number is KCF 614U, since 2016.

The complaints pointed out to the same bus that was driven carelessly on various roads on multiple occasions, prompting passengers to pressure authorities to take it off the roads. In December 2016 for instance, the bus was reported to be hooting loudly while in traffic and being on the road without backlights.

An image of a Modern Coast Bus. /MODERN COAST