TUM Students Feared Dead After University Bus Overturns on Kisumu–Awasi Highway

Several students from the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) are feared dead after a university bus carrying mourners overturned along the Kisumu–Awasi highway on Friday, 7 August. 

The group was travelling to the burial of former student leader Elvis Otieno, popularly known as "Beast". The bus reportedly lost control before veering off the road and overturning. 

Witnesses said the crash caused widespread panic as passengers were thrown from their seats and others became trapped inside the wreckage. Emergency responders, police officers and members of the public worked together to rescue survivors and take the injured to hospital.

Images and videos shared online showed the 50-seater bus extensively damaged. The windscreen was shattered, and the front section of the vehicle was severely crushed, highlighting the force of the impact.

By the time of publication, authorities had not confirmed the number of people killed or injured. Police had yet to issue an official statement, and investigations into the cause of the crash were expected to begin after rescue operations ended.The passengers were travelling to attend the burial of Otieno, a former student leader at TUM. The accident occurred as family, friends and fellow student leaders gathered in Awasi to pay their final respects.

The crash follows another fatal road accident in Kenya earlier this week. Eight people died along the Mwea–Meru highway in Kirinyaga County after a speeding parcel truck collided head-on with a tuk-tuk. Police said all eight victims died at the scene.

Road accidents continue to claim lives across the country despite repeated warnings from police and transport authorities. Speeding, poor vehicle maintenance and other traffic violations remain among the factors commonly linked to serious crashes.