Kenyatta University (KU) management has suspended classes for three days to allow students and staff to mourn students who died in a grisly road accident that occurred on Monday, March 18, 2024.
In a memo shared, the institution’s management stated that the suspension which starts tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20, 2024, is in honour of the departed students.
“It is with profound sorrow and sadness that I inform the university community of the tragic road accident involving our students from the Department of Health Management and Informatics in the School of Health Sciences yesterday in which we lost eleven students.
“Following this unprecedented tragedy, the University Management has decided to suspend all classes for three days beginning Wednesday 20th March 2024 to enable us to mourn our beloved students” the memo signed by the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Waceke Wanjohi read in parts.
The institution’s management also announced that a Help Desk had been set up for queries and support for the victims.
Kenyatta University accident
The grisly road accident involving a Kenyata University bus and a trailer occurred past Maungu in Voi sub-county on Monday.
Eleven students lost their lives to the tragedy while 21 others sustained serious injuries.
The students were headed for a trip to Mombasa when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Some of the students injured were airlifted to Nairobi for further treatment while others were rushed to a hospital in Voi.
The bodies of the fatalities were moved to Kenyatta University Funeral Home.
A section of leaders have condemned the accident and commiserated with the families of the victims.
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen, and his Interior counterpart Kithure Kindiki, assured Kenyans that investigations are currently ongoing.
“On behalf of the Ministry and myself, I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends who have lost their loved ones and wish a quick recovery to those who have been injured in the various accidents reported across the country,” CS Murkomen said.
The transport CS subsequently announced a raft of changes in a move meant to reduce road carnage and bring sanity to Kenyan roads.
“Having consulted with my Interior and National Coordination colleague, Prof. Kithure Kindiki, we are going to establish a mechanism where the previous directive to remove NTSA from enforcement will be vacated and a collaborative regime between NTSA and NPS will be put in place for a more efficient enforcement. You will be seeing a return of the NTSA working with traffic police to enforce traffic safety on our roads as soon as possible,” CS Murkomen added.
On his part, CS Kindiki reiterated the goernment’s unwavering commitment to taming road carnage and announced that his ministry was hatching new measures to deal with the menace.
“We are coming up with nationwide law enforcement measures against traffic offences, drunk driving and unroadworthy vehicles,” Kindiki said.
