Pastors Among Dead as Church Bus Carrying Funeral Mourners Crashes on Kenya Highway
Believers returning to Mombasa from a minister's burial in western Kenya were killed when their bus hit a truck near Mtito Andei; a pastors' fellowship is asking the government to help the families.
See where this is ›MTITO ANDEI, Kenya —
At least 22 people were killed Sunday, Oct. 25, when a church bus carrying mourners home from a minister's burial collided with a truck on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway at Kanga, near Mtito Andei in Makueni County, Kenya, according to Kenyan and U.S. news reports. Makueni County Chief Officer for Health Dr. Mulei Mbithi confirmed 22 deaths, Pulse Kenya reported: 17 at the scene and five later at Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital. CBS News reported 24 confirmed dead.
See where this is ›The passengers were returning to Mombasa on the coast after traveling to Makusi in Kakamega County, near Lugari in western Kenya, to bury a colleague, the late Rev. Kiganane, Pulse reported. CBS News said the bus belonged to Power of the Word Church. Pulse said those aboard included 45 worshippers from The Christian Renewal Centre in Likoni, Mombasa.
Pastor Ken Wanga, West Zone secretary of the Mombasa Pastors Fellowship, said about 50 people were on the bus, including 12 pastors and their relatives and friends, and that the fellowship had confirmed the deaths of three pastors so far. Bishop Simeon Peter Menza of the fellowship urged the public to stay calm while it works with authorities and supports the families. Wanga asked the national and county governments “to assist the affected families,” arrange specialized treatment for the critically injured and consider waiving hospital bills.
See where this is ›Pastor Cosmas Nyangweso, who suffered broken upper limbs, told Pulse from his bed at Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital that the bus left a stop in Mtito Andei about 7 a.m. and that the driver tried to pass several vehicles at Kanga before hitting the truck head-on. He said the driver had seemed sleepy. Police have not announced a cause.
Another survivor, the Rev. Spencier Mudave, told CBS News, “I have lost my sister and her husband.” He said he was traveling with his four children and had word on only two of them. Sixteen patients remained at Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital and two were moved to Makindu Sub-County Hospital, Pulse reported.
Makueni County Commissioner Abdulahi Khalif said the impact tore off half of the bus's body and urged long-distance bus companies to carry a second driver to prevent crashes caused by tired drivers. Traffic commandant Benjamin Mwanthi said the bus had traveled through the night, CBS News reported, and police urged drivers to avoid risky overtaking. Clergy have asked the government to improve warning signs and widen narrow stretches of the highway.
What we don't know yet: The death toll differs by source. Makueni County health officials confirmed 22 deaths, according to Pulse Kenya, while CBS News reported 24. Reports also name the church differently, as Power of the Word Church and as The Christian Renewal Centre in Likoni. We are still gathering details and will update the numbers when officials give a final count.
