Multiple Injured as School Bus Returning from Masinga Dam Overturns in Machakos

A school bus carrying students and teachers from St Augustine Mumbuni Secondary School overturned on Wednesday at Mutwamwaki Ridge along the Kivandini–Masinga Road in Machakos County, leaving several injured.

The vehicle was returning from an educational trip to Masinga Dam when it reportedly experienced brake failure, veered off the road, and rolled into a ditch. Emergency teams, supported by local residents, responded quickly, helping to extract those trapped in the wreckage and transporting the injured to Matuu Level 4 Hospital.

According to officials, the bus was carrying 48 students and three teachers at the time of the crash. No fatalities have been reported, though several individuals sustained injuries and were receiving treatment. 

Photographs and videos from the scene showed significant damage to the front of the bus, with the windshield shattered and the vehicle lodged at the base of an embankment. This incident is the latest in a series of school transport accidents reported across Kenya in recent months. 

On 12 September, a school bus in Nairobi’s Mihango area lost control and hit a child walking by the roadside, resulting in the child’s death and injuries to 13 others on board. The deceased was not a passenger on the bus.

Earlier in the academic term, students en route to the Kenya National Music Festival in Meru were involved in a crash along the Kisumu–Busia highway near Sirwa Posta in Vihiga County. That incident caused multiple injuries but no reported fatalities. In March, another school bus overturned in Sabaki, Mavoko, also within Machakos County, due to slippery road conditions.

Recurring issues such as mechanical failure, inadequate driver training, and poor road conditions have been identified in several of these incidents. Although emergency responses have generally been prompt, concerns remain over the effectiveness of current safety protocols for school transportation.