A total 37 out of 52 bodies of victims of the Friday road crash in Londiani have been positively identified.

The bodies being preserved at the Londiani sub-county hospital were identified by relatives of the deceased.

Londiani sub-county hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Collins Kipkoech, said 12 bodies were yet to be identified.

Kipkoech said the bodies which have been identified were released to the relatives to transfer them for preservation at various morgues of their choice.

He said the hospital was in the process of decongesting the mortuary by placing extra bodies in a mobile body deep-freezer which was provided by the Kenya Red Cross Society.

This comes after it emerged that Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) had been warned of poor road clear zone management in some parts of the country.

A road safety audit had warned of the potential dangers of operating markets too close to the road.
The lorry, registration number RAC164W Mercedes Actros was ferrying cement from Simba Cement in Salgaa to Kigali in Rwanda when the accident happened.

Among the vehicles involved are a Mitsubishi FH lorry, a Volvo truck, three public service vehicles belonging to NANAKISII Sacco, 2MKT Sacco, and NAMOKI Sacco respectively, a Scania bus belonging to ENA Coach, a Toyota saloon car, and three motorcycles.

The driver said he was from Simba Cement when the brakes failed and they parked the vehicle. However, due to weight, the vehicle ran over the chocks when they were both outside.

“I jumped into the vehicle as it was moving but could not manage to control it. I turned on full lights and hooted continuously but I lost control of the car and it crashed into other vehicles,” he said from his hospital bed.Leaders led by President William Ruto have been at the forefront condoling with families of the deceased.

“The country mourns with the families who have lost loved ones in a horrific road accident in Londiani, Kericho County. It is distressing that some of the fatalities are young people with a promising future and business people who were on their daily chores,” said Ruto. “We pray for the speedy recovery of all survivors, you are in our thoughts. We urge motorists to be extra cautious on roads, especially now when we are experiencing heavy rainfall.”

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the government will be putting up strict measures to ensure such an accident do not happened in the future. He said all markets along the road reserve should be relocated.

“County Governments in partnership with the national government through the intergovernmental framework should construct markets off the Highways even as KeNHA constructs access roads to the markets,” Murkomen said.

Murkomen said the National Police Service in conjunction with National Safety and Transport Authority (NTSA) intensified anti-drunk driving operations across the country.
He ordered the (NTSA) to include the dangerous section as one of the spots.

“NTSA should install speed detection cameras, especially in the upcoming pilot phase, to support the enforcement of traffic laws and regulations,” Murkomen said.

He reiterated that the re-testing of PSV and commercial service vehicle drivers to continue as a way of assessing their competency before the renewal of driving licenses.