Seven family members who died in Kijabe crash laid to rest in emotional burial

Caskets containing the remains of seven of the nine members of a Kakamega family who perished in a road accident at Kijabe on November 26/IMAGE /HILTON OTENYO 

Seven of the nine members of a family who died in a road accident in Kijabe on November 26 were laid to rest in an emotional  burial ceremony in Lugari on Saturday.

Family members, led by Heron Chivona, emotionally recounted the pain of losing so many loved ones at once.

Caskets containing the remains of seven of the nine members of a Kakamega family who perished in a road accident at Kijabe on November 26/IMAGE /HILTON OTENYO 

Chivona said he had been in communication with the deceased, who were travelling home to attend the burial of their grandmother, Perpetual Chivona.

“When I last spoke to them, they told me they were around Naivasha. I told them they would be home by 4 a.m," Chivona said.

“The next call I received was from a traffic police officer around midnight. The officer told me an accident had occurred at Kijabe, nine people were dead, and the survivor said they were my family. I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s a big shock,” he added.

“I have always heard about families losing many members at once. Now it’s me who has to contend with all these graves in my compound,” he narrated.

Gaping graves for the seven members of one family who died inna road accident at Kijabe on November 26 were at their home in Sango village/IMAGE /HILTON OTENYO

"I can't even close my eyes to sleep," she said.

One of the deceased, a grandson, was buried at their ancestral home earlier, while the body of the ninth family member was detained at the morgue after a relative presented an ID card with names that differed from those registered by the morgue.

The burial of the seven members of one family who died inna road accident at Kijabe on November 26 were at their home in Sango village/IMAGE /HILTON OTENYO

Co-operatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, MPs Bernard Shinali (Ikolomani), Nabii Nabwera (Lugari), and Kakamega Woman MP Elsie Muhanda attended the burial at Sango village and shared their condolences with the family.

Nabwera thanked President William Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza government for launching the dualling of the Rironi–Mau Summit–Malaba highway and the Mau Summit–Kericho–Kisumu road.

“When the president launched the dualling of these two roads, the accident that claimed these innocent lives had just happened. What the president has done for people from Western, Nyanza, and the North Rift by expanding these roads into four lanes and six lanes in some areas is wonderful and will help prevent such accidents,” Nabwera said.

He added that the accident occurred because the road was narrow, causing the vehicle to roll down a ravine.