Survivors of the Mtito Andei bus crash that claimed 24 lives in the early hours of Sunday are now sharing details of a heated disagreement among the group before the ill-fated journey from Lugari, Kakamega County, back to Mombasa.
The group of 47 worshippers had hired a bus to attend the burial of their bishop in Lugari. After a long and exhausting day, the journey homeward began at around 4 pm on Saturday, with none of those on board suspecting what awaited them on the road.
Elders Overruled Calls to Wait Until Morning
Michael Musala, who is currently receiving treatment at Makindu Level 4 Hospital, said that some members of the group had pushed to depart on Sunday morning rather than travel through the night, but the elders in the group would not hear of it.
“We told them we should stick to the programme and depart on Sunday morning but the elders refused, they overpowered us with numerical numbers and we had no otherwise, they even called for the bus and we begun entering one by one,” Musala said.
Despite serving as the group’s secretary, Musala said he was nearly left behind in the rush to board.
The crash, which occurred along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, left 24 people dead and several others fighting for their lives. Those who perished were moved to Mtito Andei Hospital mortuary, while survivors remain admitted at Makindu Level 4 Hospital.
Musala Mourns His Sister
Beyond the physical pain of his injuries, Musala is also carrying the grief of losing his sister in the crash. He described her as someone who had always been more than just a sibling to him.
“She acted like a mom. She carried me at the back when I was a child,” he said, struggling to find words for the depth of his loss.
The tragedy has left an entire community in mourning. The bus had drawn worshippers from different denominations, all united by the shared purpose of paying their last respects to their bishop, only to find themselves at the centre of one of the year’s most devastating road accidents.
