Salasya calls on govt agencies to audit roads following Kisumu-Kakamega Highway accident

Mumias East Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Salasya has called on government agencies to urgently review and audit the country’s transport infrastructure following the Kisumu–Kakamega highway accident that claimed 21 lives at the Coptic Roundabout in Kisumu town.

In a statement on Friday night, August 9, 2025, Salasya stressed that no Kenyan should lose their life due to negligence, poor infrastructure, or lax enforcement of safety laws.

“This must be a wake-up call. We cannot continue normalising preventable tragedies. I call upon the National Government, NTSA, KCAA, and relevant agencies to urgently audit our road, rail, and air safety standards. No Kenyan should die simply because of negligence, poor infrastructure, or lack of enforcement of safety laws,” he stated.

In his condolence message, Salasya expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, which involved a bus carrying mourners that overturned, leaving families across the country in mourning.

“My deepest condolences to the 21 families who have lost loved ones in the tragic accident at Coptic Roundabout, Kisumu, where a bus carrying mourners overturned. In just two days, Kenya has been thrown into mourning a Mwihoko plane crash, a Naivasha train and bus collision, and now another bus tragedy in Kisumu claiming 21 lives,” he stated.

“These are not just statistics; these are fathers, mothers, children, and breadwinners whose absence will be felt forever. May God comfort the bereaved families and protect every Kenyan in this month of August and beyond,” he added.

Accident

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital has officially confirmed that 21 people have lost their lives and 21 others are currently receiving medical treatment following a tragic road accident along the Kisumu-Kakamega highway.

The hospital received the victims after a bus carrying 61 family members overturned near the Coptic roundabout area, marking one of the deadliest accidents in recent times along this route.

In a post shared on its official Facebook page on Friday, August 8, 2025, just hours after the accident, the hospital noted that 19 bodies were transported directly from the accident scene to the facility.

“Staff at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) moved swiftly this evening to receive and save the lives of survivors from a tragic road accident that occurred at the Coptic roundabout area along the Kisumu-Kakamega road. The accident involved a school bus carrying family members who were on their way to Nyakach after attending a burial of their relative in Nyahera, Kisumu West sub-county,” the hospital wrote on Facebook.

Additionally, two unidentified adult males and a male child succumbed to their injuries shortly after arrival at the hospital, bringing the total number of fatalities to 21.

The post further added that the 21 survivors are stable and under continuous observation as they receive specialised care in the hospital’s Emergency and Accident Unit.

“Twenty-one of the occupants are currently stable and receiving treatment at the hospital’s Emergency and Accident Unit. Unfortunately, the hospital also received 19 bodies from the accident scene, while another two unidentified adult males and a male child succumbed to their injuries upon arrival at the hospital. Making to the total number of those dead 21.”

The hospital also disclosed that in response to the overwhelming number of victims and concerned relatives, it has established a dedicated help desk next to the emergency unit.