Kisumu County has been plunged into mourning following a devastating road accident that claimed 26 lives along the Kisumu–Kakamega highway on Friday evening. The tragic crash, which occurred at the notorious Coptic blackspot, involved a school bus ferrying mourners from Nyahera to Nyakach.
According to eyewitnesses, the bus lost control while negotiating a sharp corner, rolling multiple times before coming to a halt. At the time of the accident, the vehicle was carrying family and friends returning from a funeral, making the tragedy even more painful. Among the dead were 10 men, 10 women, and an eight-month-old baby.
Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o, who visited survivors at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching & Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), described the incident as “a preventable loss” and called on the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to urgently redesign the stretch of road to avert similar tragedies. “This blackspot has claimed far too many lives. We cannot continue to lose our people to poor road design,” the governor said.
The human toll has been especially severe in Koguta, Nyakach Sub-County, where 22 of the victims hailed from the same clan, Korwa. Heartbroken relatives recounted their last moments with loved ones, describing the tragedy as a generational loss. Mary Achieng’, who lost several family members, said the accident had left them “utterly shattered and in disbelief.”
As the community rallies in grief, Governor Nyong’o has appealed for blood donations to help save the lives of those still hospitalized. Twenty of the injured remain in stable condition, while five survivors are still in critical care.
In a show of solidarity, the government has pledged to cover all medical bills for the injured and cater for burial expenses. But beyond the mourning, there is a growing call for swift and tangible action to make the Kisumu–Kakamega highway safer, so that such heartbreak never strikes again.
