Wails and tears as Kisumu families collect bodies of crash victims

Tears flowed and wails pierced the air outside the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital morgue on Friday as grief-stricken families gathered to identify and collect the bodies of their loved ones from the Kisumu–Kakamega highway tragedy.

One by one, names were called as relatives, clinging to each other for support, walked into the morgue to confront the unthinkable. Each time a coffin emerged, the crowd outside erupted into fresh cries.

Mothers beat their chests in anguish. Elderly men stood motionless, faces wet with silent tears. The bodies were placed gently into waiting hearses as mourners pressed forward for one last glimpse.

The viewing, held just outside the morgue gates, was raw and heart-wrenching. Shaky hands reached out to touch the polished wood of the caskets; others knelt beside them, whispering prayers and farewells through sobs.

The 22 victims were all from Koguta village, Nyakach — part of the 26 who perished in the crash.

Twenty-six others survived and are receiving treatment at JOOTRH. Many victims were relatives and friends returning home from a funeral in Nyahera when tragedy struck at the Coptic roundabout.

The accident, now etched into the region’s memory as one of the worst in recent years, also left 26 people injured.

From the morgue, the bodies were taken to their homes for night vigils. On Saturday morning, they will be brought together at Naki Primary School for a joint funeral service before making their final journey to their resting places, a day expected to mark one of the heaviest moments in Nyakach’s history.