Tears for school head who died in Nithi bus plunge

Tharaka Nithi County residents are mourning the death of David Marangu, a respected secondary school principal who perished in the Nithi bridge accident on Sunday night.

Marangu, the principal of Karimba Day Secondary School, had offered his Toyota Rav 4 car to take his 80-year-old mother to hospital.

Called the family

He then boarded the ill-fated Modern Coast bus in Meru town at around 5.30pm, calling his family to inform them that he was headed to Karimba school.

One hour later, tragedy struck as the 45-seater bus plunged into the Nithi bridge, killing 35 people, including the principal, bus driver and conductor. 

Thirty-five others are nursing injuries at Chuka General Hospital and PCEA Chogoria Mission Hospital.  

Phone was dead

“He usually drives to school or takes a matatu. This was the first time he was travelling by bus. But since ‘shosh’ (grandmother) was unwell, dad told us he would get the vehicle later. When we heard that an accident had occurred, we tried calling him but the phone was already off,” daughter Gloria Gitonga told ‘People Daily’.

 “We immediately drove to the scene and arrived at around 11pm. Since the injured were being transferred to hospital, we went to Chogoria PCEA mission. He was not there. We then went to Chuka hospital where we were informed he was dead,” she said.

“It’s a big blow to us. We are trying to cope with the loss. Mom is not in a position to talk. We trust that God will help us deal with the situation,” said Gitonga, who completed high school last year and is expecting to join college soon. 

The family spoke as the government called off a rescue and recovery mission at the Nithi River after pulling out the wrecked bus.

All accounted for

Tharaka Nithi County Commissioner Nobert Komora said they had accounted for all the people on board. He said those who died are 19 men and 16 women.

 “We have officially called off the search and recovery mission. The death toll has risen to 35 after another person died while receiving treatment at Chuka hospital,” he said.

He praised the multi-agency team involved in the rescue and recovery efforts — drawn from Kenya Defence Forces, Tharaka Nithi County Rescue Team, Red Cross, Kenya National Highways Authority, and Eastern Region and Tharaka Nithi county security teams.

Eastern Regional Commissioner Evans Achoki said all the 45 people who boarded the bus had been accounted for. “The injured are recuperating at Chuka Level 5 Hospital,” he said.

At the hospital, security was tight, with authorities only allowing relatives of the injured passengers into the wards.

Doing well

“They are doing well but we are not allowing people in because we want them to fully stabilize,” said one of the medics.

A spot check at the bus company’s Mombasa office at Mwembe Tayari revealed little activity, with several buses grounded following an order by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).

Security guards said the company’s operations had been grounded until further notice.

Passengers with advance bookings would be reimbursed their money in due course. “They will be notified through mobile phones about their refund,” said the officer. 

However, the company’s courier service remained operational yesterday.

Re-construct bridge

Speaking at various centres in Meru county yesterday, Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga promised to re-construct the killer Nithi Bridge if he is elected president on August 9.

Raila, who asked the gathering to observe a minute of silence in memory of those who died in the Sunday evening tragedy, said there was a need to redesign the bridge.

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