The county government of Kakamega has revealed plans for a common funeral service for 40 victims of the Fort Ternan crash that killed 56 people on Wednesday morning.
Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said the county government will also transfer survivors who are recuperating at Kericho County Referral Hospital to facilities in Kakamega, so that it is close enough for their relatives to visit whenever they feel like.
He made the revelation when he visited casualties of the bus accident in hospital while accompanied by his Kericho counterpart, Paul Chepkwony. The two leaders condoled with the bereaved families at the hospital morgue.
“I would like to say sorry for the unfortunate incident that claimed so many lives at Fort Ternan. Kakamega County will have a mass service in honour of all who perished. We have already set up a committee to deal with burial arrangements,” said Mr Oparanya.
Fifty-six people were killed when a 62-seater bus christened Home Boyz and belonging to Western Cross Express Sacco veered off the road while descending a steep slope at Tunnel in Fort Ternan.
The bus hit a guard rail, rolled and plunged 20 metres to a messy ruin on a rocky patch of land. The bus was heading to Kakamega from Nairobi via Kisumu.
Nine of 15 casualties continue to receive medication at the Kericho County Referral Hospital. Others have been referred elsewhere including the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Mr Oparanya said the committee will consult families for a suitable burial date so that after the mass service, respective families will carry their loved ones for burial.
The Owner of the ill fated bus Mr. Cleophas Shimanyula and Western Crossroads Express Sacco manager Bernard Shitiabayi have been charged over the accident.
The two were arrested on Wednesday evening after it emerged that the crash resulted from dangerous driving and flouting traffic rules.
Kericho police boss James Mogera further said the registration status of the bus could not be found on the National Transport and Safety Authority’s website.
Mr Shimanyula and Mr Shitiabayi did not take plea at a magistrate’s court in Molo on Thursday as police requested to detain them to complete investigations.
More than 50 people were reported dead and 15 seriously injured after the accident. The bus veered off the road and landed on a rocky farm in Fort Ternan while heading from Nairobi to Kisumu. By Thursday, two more people had died.
After receiving news of the accident, Mr Shimanyula said in a brief interview, “What has happened is quite unfortunate. We have worked hard for some time now to ensure our vehicles operate safely. This has come as a big shock to me.”