Three people, including a four-year-old child, died after a matatu they were travelling in was hit by a speeding bus near Kinungi trading centre in Naivasha.
More than 10 people were injured, six of them seriously, in the Sunday morning incident that also claimed the lives of a man and woman.
The driver of a bus headed to Kisumu from Nairobi hit a lorry heading in the same direction before crashing onto an oncoming matatu, killing the three.
James Kabono from Naivasha Safety Group said the driver of the speeding bus tried to overtake several vehicles at ago.
He said that on realising that he could not overtake the lorry on time, the driver of the bus swerved back to the left, hitting it and losing control.
“After he hit the lorry he lost control and crashed into the oncoming matatu,” he said.
Naivasha Subcounty Hospital superintendent Dr Angeline Ithondeka said six people were admitted in serious condition.
She noted that the facility had witnessed an increase in cases of accidents involving drunk drivers in the last one month.
Ithondeka attributed this to the high number of vehicles on the road since the travel regulations were eased and bars reopened.
“At the height of the pandemic when the movement was limited, we were recording fewer than 10 cases of accidents per week but this has shot to over 200,” she said.
She termed weekend as the most challenging period for the facility due to the accidents, bar brawls and domestic violence.
“We had an incident in which two drivers involved in a serious accident were drunk and this is turning out to be the norm on weekends,” she said.
Naivasha OCPD Samuel Waweru said the driver of the bus had been arrested following the accident while the wrecks had been towed to the police station.
