The survivors of the deadly Naivasha crash that claimed nine lives have accused the driver of reckless driving and ignoring repeated pleas to slow down.
According to them, the tragedy that unfolded in the early hours of Monday morning could have been prevented had the driver heeded their warnings about his excessive speed.
The fatal collision occurred at around 2 a.m. in the Karai area of Naivasha, along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway, when a Greenline bus crashed into a 14-seater matatu operated by Nanyuki Cabs Sacco.
The impact was devastating, leaving nine people dead, including two minors, and several others nursing serious injuries.
One survivor, speaking from her hospital, painted a grim picture of the moments leading up to the crash.
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"It was reckless driving. We had a driver that wasn't listening to our complaints," he recounted.
The survivor, who sustained head injuries and leg pain, added, "We have lost several people including a minor. And several have been injured, like me, my head hurts and one side of my leg is painful."
His account was corroborated by another passenger, who described how the driver maintained dangerously high speeds throughout the journey.
"The driver was driving too fast from the word go. We tried to plead with him to slow down, because we had children on board and it was on full capacity and he refused to listen," the survivor stated.
A third survivor, nursing chest pains, bruised knees, and glass cuts, expressed gratitude for surviving the horrific ordeal.
"My chest hurts, my knees are bruised, and I have glass cuts. I thank God for life though," the passenger said.
Photographs from the crash site revealed the extent of the devastation.
The matatu's front end and one side were mangled entirely, while the Greenline bus suffered significant damage to its front section.
The Kenya Red Cross responded to the scene and confirmed that multiple passengers sustained injuries in the early morning collision.
Emergency responders worked swiftly to transport the injured to Naivasha District Hospital, where they received immediate medical attention.
The severity of injuries varied, with some passengers suffering from fractures, lacerations, and internal trauma.
Survivors are now calling for concrete action to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
"We ask the Greeline company to consider assigning two drivers per trip; otherwise, we will continue losing lives," one survivor urged, proposing a practical solution that could help address driver fatigue and reckless behavior on long-distance routes.
