Families mourn pupils who died in Webuye accident

Families of pupils killed in an accident along the Webuye-Eldoret highway are yet to come to terms with the loss.

The accident killed four pupils of St Mukasa Primary School Chimoi and a motor cycle rider.

Five other pupils and two drivers were injured in the accident.

Webuye Traffic Base commander Mr Abubakar Mawasaa said the accident occurred after the brakes of a truck that was transporting stones from Chimoi to Webuye failed, hitting a tractor that was ferrying sugarcane.

(READ: Pupils killed in Webuye road accident)

The driver then lost control and the vehicle veered off the road and hit a group of pupils who were headed home for lunch.

Twelve year old Nancy Naliaka (class five) and her sister 9 year old Linet Nasimiyu (class four) were among the four pupils who died in the tragic accident.

GOING FOR LUNCH

Their mother Mrs Gladys Mutenyo told Nation.co.ke at her Kaburengu home that she expected her daughters back home for lunch at 1pm as usual only to hear that they had died in the accident.

“My two daughters never returned as I had expected after they died the accident that saw two other pupils of Chimoi Primary School run over by a truck,” she said.

She said the accident had cut short the dreams and aspirations of her daughters whom she described as dedicated and hardworking.

“They were my hope. I always hoped they would excel in life and one day transform the lives of our entire family.

The loss is too much for us to bear. They died a very painful death,” she said before breaking down in tears.

The two were the only girls in a family of four.

Less than 800 metres from Mrs Mutenyo’s home, another family is mourning the death of their daughter Faiza Musa who also died in the grisly accident.

HARDWORKING AND OBEDIENT

Her Mr Musa Hussein father described his daughter as an obedient and hardworking girl who was always ahead of others in everything she did.

Faiza was in standard five.

“She was always among the best in examinations since class one. She had set the pace for my other three children,” said Mr Hussein.

Mr Hussein added that the death of his only daughter in the family of four was a big loss.

The other pupil who died in the accident was Rita Khasiala who was also in standard five.

Her father, Mr Kevin Waka, said the death of the pupil in the accident is a loss that his family will never get over.

“I didn’t believe she had died until I saw her body lying by the roadside. It was so mutilated that I almost doubted if it was her,” he said.

A grief stricken Mr Waka said his daughter was the pride of the family due to her exemplary performance in school.

He added that his daughter’s dream of becoming a medical doctor had been cut short by the tragic accident.

SOMBRE MOOD

A sombre mood engulfed the school with both the pupils and teachers still trying to come to terms with the loss.

The desks which the four used remained unoccupied as pupils whispered to each other in low tones. No learning was going on.

The school head teacher Mr Paul Makokha urged the government to find a solution to the road carnage at the slope between Chimoi and Kaburengu which he described as a black spot.

“The school will not move to another location. The government should therefore find a way of addressing the road carnage problem that continues to take away lives from the area,” he said.

He added that the pupils had been affected by the accidents as they see mutilated bodies from accidents and people looting at accident scenes.
This, he said, was impacting negatively on their upbringing.

The bodies are lying at the Webuye District Hospital mortuary awaiting burial arrangements.