A video has emerged showing some of the final moments of a bus driver moments before a tragic crash along the Mombasa–Nairobi Highway that claimed his life and that of two Kenyatta University students.
The students were travelling aboard a Lopha Travels bus popularly known as ‘Machette’ when it was involved in a road accident along the Mombasa–Nairobi Highway near the Machinery area.
The vehicle lost control, veered off the road near Machinery Township, rolled several times, and left three dead and six others injured.
Kibwezi Accident: Last Video of Bus Driver
According to Chyullu Assistant County Commissioner William Tonui, the students had hired a 33-seater matatu from Nairobi for a private trip to Mombasa.
“The accident was self-involving. The vehicle rolled multiple times at the machinery area, with three casualties reported at the scene,” Tonui said.
In the clip, the bus driver was seen holding a tumbler while standing in front of the bus, hyping up the trip to Mombasa moments before the fatal crash.
In the background, an unidentified person could be heard conversing with the driver as the clip was being recorded.
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The driver could be heard saying, “Kinara wa safari ndio huyu, safari imeng’oa nanga heading to Mombasa, Watamu” (I am the leader(driver) of this journey, and the trip has officially set off heading to Mombasa, Watamu).
He then speaks with the person about an upcoming summer trip. The companion is heard asking the driver to remind viewers of the coming summer trip to the Coast, stating that the summer trip would cost Ksh 5,500, but the driver folds his right-hand fingers to signal that it will cost Ksh 5,000, saying, “Hii ni tembea Kenya. Kama umemiss hii trip ya summer days usimiss, iko mwezi wa saba, ni elfu tano tu” (If you missed this trip, don’t miss the summer trip scheduled for July, it will cost only Ksh 5,000).
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Cause of the Accident
Tonui said the matatu was trying to avoid hitting a man who was crossing the road when it ploughed through a guardrail and plunged into a bridge after the driver lost control of the vehicle.
According to the Daily Nation, the passengers were part of a group of Kenyatta University students who had each raised KSh 4,900 to tour various sites along the Coast.
The group left Nairobi at 5:30 a.m., planning to spend the night in Mtwapa Township, Kilifi County, before proceeding to Watamu, Mambrui, and Mombasa for sightseeing and weekend festivities.
