At least 19 people died on Tuesday after the bus they were travelling in plunged into a river on the Narok-Maai Mahiu road.
Forty-four other people were injured after the bus, which was heading to Nairobi from Kendu Bay, veered off the road and plunged into River Siyiapei.
Witnesses said the bus driver lost control of the vehicle as he tried to avoid hitting an oncoming lorry.
“The bus driver had overtaken another vehicle and was trying to avoid an head-on collision with an on-coming lorry when it plunged into the river at the sharp bend,” Mr John Simba, a witness, told the Nation.
Another witness said the bus, belonging to Daima Connection Sacco, smashed into a guardrail before plunging into the river.
Seventeen people died instantly while two others succumbed to their injuries at the Narok County Referral Hospital.
Narok County Commissioner George Natembeya said four passengers were in critical condition while 42 others were being treated at the Narok County Referral Hospital with minor injuries.
“It appears the 63-seater bus driver lost control when he overtook another vehicle as he tried to avoid hitting an oncoming lorry. The lorry driver escaped from the scene after the accident,” said the administrator.
The accident scene was strewn with suitcases, shoes and vegetables.
Survivors who spoke to the Nation said the bus had picked up a number of passengers in major towns along the way.
Mr Wilson Aketch, a survivor, accused the driver of carelessness.
“I was awake when it happened,” recalls the 35-year-old who was travelling from Kendu Bay town in Homa Bay County. “I saw the bus veering off the road after overtaking the lorry and crashed into the river. It was also packed with passengers. I am still in shock.” Mr Jared Ouma, another passenger, said he was lucky to be alive. “We started shouting when we saw the vehicle veering off the road,” he said.
In August 2013, 41 people were killed and 44 others injured in another accident near the area at Ntulele.
