Kenyatta University (KU) has suspended learning for three days following a gruesome road accident along the Nairobi-Mombasa highways that killed eleven students.
In a memo on Tuesday, March 19, KU Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics Waceke Wanjohi said the brief suspension of classes in the institution will allow time to mourn the students who lost their lives.
“Following this unprecedented tragedy, the University Management has decided to suspend all classes for three (3) days beginning Wednesday 20th March 2024 to enable us mourn our beloved students,” read the statement in part.
Wanjohi noted that the university is making arrangements to transport the remains of the eleven students to Kenyatta University Funeral Home along Thika Super Highway.
The KU Deputy Vice-Chancellor also disclosed that eleven other students who were injured in the accident have been airlifted to Avenue Hospital in Parklands while sixteen others with minor injuries are being transported to the same facility.
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“Eleven (11) students were also critically injured and are being airlifted to Avenue Hospital. Parklands: and another sixteen (16) with minor injuries are being transported to the same Hospital. Arrangements are also being made to transport the remains of the eleven (11) students,” Wanjohi added.
KU Vice Chancellor Paul Wainaina earlier visited the survivors of the tragic accidents at the Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi.
The accident which involved the KU bus and a trailer happened on Monday evening in Maungu, Voi, in Taita Taveta county.
The school bus which was carrying 58 passengers was heading to Mombasa while the trailer was heading to Nairobi.
Following the tragedy, Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen ordered a mandatory retesting of all Public Service Vehicles(PSVs) and heavy commercial vehicle drivers.
CS Murkomen also directed NTSA to put in place measures for the implementation of medical testing of all drivers before the issuance of any new driving licences and renewal to ensure that only medically fit drivers are licensed to drive.
Further, the Transport CS ordered NTSA and the National Police Service (NPS) to intensify the nationwide crackdown of all unroadworthy vehicles and those not integrated with the intelligent road safety management system for transmission of speed limiter data.
