Update: Mombasa Pastors Name Ministers Killed in Bus Crash, Plan Nov. 12 Fundraiser and Seek Wider Highway
After the Oct. 25 crash near Mtito Andei that killed 24, the Mombasa Pastors Fellowship wants the Nairobi-Mombasa road made a dual carriageway and is raising money for the families and children left behind.
See where this is ›MOMBASA, Kenya —
Pastors in Mombasa, Kenya, are calling on the government to turn the Nairobi-Mombasa highway into a dual carriageway and are planning a Nov. 12 fundraiser for the families of 24 people killed when a church bus crashed on the road Oct. 25, Christian Daily International reported Nov. 3.
See where this is ›The bus, owned by Power of the Word Church International, hit a truck head-on at Kanga, near Mtito Andei in Makueni County, as members of the Mombasa Pastors Fellowship and others returned from a bishop's burial in Kakamega County in western Kenya. Three pastors were among the dead, and dozens of people were hurt and taken to hospitals in Mtito Andei, Kibwezi and Makindu.
The report named the three ministers: Pastor Joseph Vura of Campaign for Salvation and Healing Ministry Church, Apostle Fonex Paul of River of Restoration Church and Pastor Isaac Juma of Grace Healing Church. Vura, ordained in 2008, at first survived with severe head injuries but died after heavy blood loss, the report said. Bishop Elijah Janabi, presiding bishop of Campaign for Salvation and Healing Ministry, described him as a dedicated minister.
“We need to have a dual carriageway between Mombasa and Nairobi,” said the Rev. Elijah Waini, secretary-general of the Mombasa Pastors Fellowship, who argued that the single-lane road is dangerous. Mombasa Deputy Governor Francis Thoya pressed the national government: “How many must die before the state takes corrective steps?”
See where this is ›Waini said the fellowship is raising KSh 10 million (about $77,000) in two funds, one for bereaved families and funeral costs and one for the children's education, and pastors have appealed to President William Ruto to support the Nov. 12 drive.
The Makueni County Government waived hospital bills and postmortem fees and helped with ambulances, and the Mombasa County Government also sent ambulances, according to the report. Christian Daily said there had been no national government response as of its report. The crash came weeks after an Oct. 3 crash near Salama on the same highway killed 17 Catholic pilgrims from Mombasa.
What we don't know yet: Earlier reports gave different death tolls (22 confirmed by Makueni County health officials, 24 reported by CBS News); Christian Daily now reports 24. Police have not announced an official cause.
