President William Ruto has directed traffic enforcement officers to intensify operations on the country’s roads following a fatal accident on the Kisumu–Kakamega Highway involving a Naki High School bus.

In a statement issued on Friday, August 8, 2025, night, via his official social media accounts, the Head of State expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured.

“Our prayers are with the victims of the terrible accident that occurred tonight on the Kisumu-Kakamega Highway. May the Almighty give strength to the families to bear with the loss. We wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Ruto stated.

He further urged traffic enforcers to move with speed in bringing to book anyone found culpable of negligence leading to the tragedy.

Ruto also called for a comprehensive crackdown on all traffic violations to ensure safety on Kenyan roads.

“We ask traffic enforcers to act swiftly to bring to book those responsible for any acts of negligence leading to the accident and address all traffic violations to ensure road safety across the country,” Ruto wrote on X.

Kisumu road crash

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 the tragic road accident.

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.

NTSA action

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has since launched investigations into the devastating road crash.

In a statement issued on their X account on Friday, August 8, 2025, NTSA Director General George Njao confirmed that the authority had deployed a team of road safety auditors to the scene to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash, which involved a Naki High School bus ferrying family members returning from a burial.

“To aid investigations into the cause of the crash, the Authority has dispatched a team of road safety auditors to the scene. We will provide more information as the investigations commence,” the statement read.