Fort Ternan crash bus has been without speed governor for nearly a year: Officials

Family and friends mourn the death of five victims of the Fort Ternan crash in Muluanda, Kakamega County on October 11. PHOTO | ISAAC WALE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Speed Governors and Road Safety Association has said inspection of the wrecked bus showed it lacked the gadget
  • The bus also carried excess passengers, lacked an insurance sticker and did not have a night travel licence
  • Association puts traffic police officers on the spot for failure to notice these issues

The ill-fated bus that crashed at Fort Ternan in Kericho County killing 56 people did not have a speed governor, officials have revealed.

The Speed Governors and Road Safety Association has said inspection of the wrecked bus showed it lacked the device, which is a requirement for all public transport vehicles.

The association's secretary-general Wambugu Nyamu told the Nation that the bus could have been driven without the device for close to a year as it was last inspected in October 2017.

“We sent our people to the scene and we discovered that the bus did not have a speed governor,” said Mr Nyamu.

The revelation comes amid reports by survivors of the accident that the vehicle had been speeding.

Lack of the speed regulator only adds to a myriad of requirements that the bus owned by Western Cross Express had flouted. It has also been revealed that the bus carried excess passengers, lacked an insurance sticker and did not have a night travel licence. It also emerged that the driver was doing an 800-kilometre round trip.

At the same time, the association has called for the disbandment of the motor vehicle inspection department of the National Transport and Safety Authority as well as the traffic police department.

Mr Nyamu said traffic police officers along the route should have inspected the bus and noticed it lacked vital requirements. “It is the mandate of the motor vehicle inspection department to conduct random crackdowns and for police to conduct inspections along the road. Where were they?” Mr Nyamu posed.​