Several passengers on Sunday, February 18, sustained different degrees of injuries after a City Shuttle bus they were traveling in lost control and overturned at the Globe Roundabout in Nairobi CBD.
The bus was carrying passengers from Uthiru to Nairobi CBD on Sunday morning when the accident happened.
According to passengers who were onboard, mishaps characterized their entire ride.
One passenger narrated how they almost collided with a Latema Travellers bus along Waiyaki on their way to Nairobi CBD.
At the time, the driver managed to swerve the bus, escaping what could have been a grisly crash with the Latema-managed matatu.
Later at Uthiru stage, the driver reportedly reversed recklessly and hit another vehicle behind it.
The windscreen of the hit vehicle broke, according to the passenger’s account, but the driver and his conductor agreed to pay for its repair.
They would then proceed with their journey to CBD. But their journey was cut short after the bus hit a pavement and lost control before overturning at the usually busy roundabout.
“This bus started accidents back from Uthiru when it almost collided with a Latema bus but managed to escape,” the passenger narrated.
Also Read: Several Feared Dead as Embassava Bus Collides with Lorry
“The driver was drunk, we started the mishaps and even hit another vehicle along the way,’ another passenger explained.
City Shuttle Driver Escapes
Shortly after the accident, the driver broke the windscreen of the bus and escaped from the scene leaving the bus and the passengers behind.
The conductor also escaped, perhaps aware of the imminent arrests that would follow the investigations into the accident.
Ambulances from ST Johns and other organizations arrived at the scene to help transfer the casualties to health facilities including the Kenyatta National Hospital and the Mbagathi Hospital.
Also Read: Several Feared Dead as Embassava Bus Collides with Lorry
According to the witnesses, the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and hence his reckless driving. Police were yet to issue a comprehensive statement regarding the actual cause of the accident amid the speculations pointing to drunk driving and brake failure.
The accident came six days after another one involving an Embassava bus which also offers commuting services in Nairobi. At least two people were confirmed dead after the accident involving the bus and a lorry transporting sand along Mombasa Road.
The two accidents are just a fraction of the total traffic accidents reported in 2024, with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) stating that over 560 people had been killed in various road accidents between January 1 and February 11, 2024.