Driver in tragic Mwingi school bus accident charged

mary kulundu

August 6, 2018 4:13 PM

The accident saw 10 pupils killed while 40 others injured

The driver of a truck which was in a head-on collision with a school bus of St Gabriel Primary School, Mwingi, leaving 10 pupils dead was on Monday charged before the court of law.

Abdallah Hassan is accused of causing the tragic accident where more than 30 passengers were also injured.

Hassan was charged with causing the deaths of the 10 pupils through dangerous driving.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him and was released on a bond of Sh 5 million with two sureties of the same amount or an alternative cash bail of 1m.

The students from St Gabriel Primary School in Mwingi were travelling from Mombasa where they had gone for a study tour when their bus was involved in a head-on collision with the lorry at Kanginga bridge about 1 Km from Mwingi town on the Thika-Garissa Road at around 11:00 pm on Saturday.

After the collision, the bus lost control and plunged into the Kanginga river bed. The 10 pupils were among 50 passengers who included their teachers.

Eight pupils died on the spot while the two others succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment.

Of the injured, 32 students were admitted in Mwingi Level Four Hospital, six of them in critical condition while 26 are in stable condition.

The accident elicited an array of reactions with leaders trooping to send condolences messages while questioning why the school bus was being driven late at night against the set regulations.

According to rules set by the Ministry of Education, school buses are restricted from being on the road after 6 pm or before 6 am.

mary kulundu