At least seven people were killed and 63 others injured in a grisly road accident involving two commuter buses along Nairobi-Mombasa highway, Kenyan police confirmed on Thursday.
Joseph Ole Napeiyan, the divisional police commander, said both vehicles belong to Modern Coast and collided near Salama area. One bus was heading to Nairobi, the other, headed in the opposite direction to Mombasa.
Modern Coast is a regional bus company which plies major routes in the East African region.
Napeiyan said the early morning incident took place barely a day after a similar accident in the same area. That accident also involved a Modern Coast bus as well as one from the Tahmeed Bus Company.
“We have started investigating the case of the incident,” said Commander Napeiyan.
Road accidents still continue to occur despite stringent traffic rules which were introduced by the government to help curb the road carnage.
An estimated 3,000 Kenyans die in road accidents annually despite concerted efforts by the state and the private sector to promote safety on the highways, according to the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA).
The transport regulator has suspended the operating license for Modern Coast Bus Company.
The agency also directed the police to impound any of their vehicles found to be operating contrary to the suspension.
“Following the early Thursday morning crash involving two of their buses, the Authority has with immediate effect suspended the Company’s operator’s license and initiated a thorough investigation into its safety standards and operations,” NTSA said in a statement.
The bus company’s online portal has also been shut down and 88 buses were grounded.
