Details have revealed what conspired the Wednesday morning ill-fated Western Cross Express bus christened Home Boyz accident that claimed 56 lives.
One of the Kenyan local Dailies explained that the ill-fated bus that crashed at Fort Ternan had been employed two days before the accident as a temporary driver.
Speaking in an interview with The Standard, Francis Mwangi, a driver with Eldoret Express bus operating from Machakos Country bus, explained that the 72 year old Lucas Abdala was not supposed to be behind the wheel on the day of the crash.
Mr Mwangi revealed that the Home Boyz bus’ brake linings were completely worn out.
According to Mwangi, Abdala stepped in as a temporary driver after the designated driver refused to take over the trip due to the vehicle’s condition.
“The driver declined to drive the bus until the brake linings were changed so they decided to bring on a temporary driver,” remarked the Eldoret bus driver.
He further highlighted Abdala as a very careful driver for the 15 years he knew him and had never seen him use any drugs.
However, Abdala’s relatives revealed that Abdala had previously worked for Matunda Bus Company which rebranded to Nairobi Bus Cooperation and resigned three days before getting a job with the Western Cross Express.
They further expounded that he had been a driver for nearly 50 years and his record on the road stood out as he had never been involved in an accident.