A heavy cloud hangs over Kotombo village in Nyakach, Kisumu County. Grief-struck residents walk from house to house, condoling with those in mourning, their faces showing the agony of the calamity that befell two clans in this village.
The Friday evening accident along the Kisumu–Kakamega road stripped the village of 26 people.
The residents, who had bid farewell to their kin as they left for a burial only two days ago, are now reconciling with the reality of yet another round of burials in quick succession.
“Kuna baba wangu wakwe wawili ndani na familia wengine wengi. Sio jambo rahisi, juu ujumbe vile ilikuja niliambiwa ni familia mzima, kila mtu amegaa. Imebaki tu watu wawili,” says Magdalene Oguta, a resident.
Julius Okung’u, another local, adds: “Personally, I have lost my dad and my grandfather, but I am still moving from home to home to condole with other family members, our friends, and other village members.”
At the Evangelist Miracle Church, prayers were held. The church lost six of its members in the accident. The village is now engulfed in uncertainty over the next steps.
“Kama kuna mwenye anaweza kushikilia hii familia, watusaidie, watushikilie watoto juu wameachwa mbali. Tafadhali tunaomba tu msaada,” says Grace Odhiambo, who has become widowed.
Despite the announcement of a waiver of all bills for the affected families, Kotombo village remains deeply wounded.
Here, the toll of road carnage will be etched in memory, having wiped out relatives from across three generations.
