How mother's quick thinking saved 7-month-old in Kisumu bus tragedy that killed 26

Vyckline Adongo, a mother of four, still frets and prays at the thought of how her seven-month-old baby survived the horrific bus accident in Kisumu that left 26 people dead.

Innocent Brighten's miraculous escape, what happened to him moments after the bus crashed, with the infant slipping from her mother's hands, is still a mystery to Adongo.

All she remembers vividly is how they had prepared for the trip and how her child had been playing with another 10-year-old minor moments before the accident.

"On Friday morning, I woke up early, prepared breakfast for my family, and left for Nyahera to attend a relative’s burial,” she says. “We boarded the Naki Secondary School bus at around 9 a.m. with my fourth-born, Innocent. The burial went well despite the sadness, and afterward we began the journey back to Nyakach with more than 50 passengers on board.”

At first, everything seemed normal. But near Mamboleo, the bus began to lose control. “The wheels moved abnormally, and we veered off the road. In that moment, I knew an accident was coming. My only thought was to protect my child,” Vicklyne says.

She quickly dressed him in a leather jacket, wrapped him in a Maasai leso, covered his head with a muffler, and held him tightly against her chest. “I shielded him like a hen covering her chicks. I told myself, if the bus was to fall, at least my baby would have some protection.” Moments later, the bus plunged into a ditch.

“I remember hearing voices saying, ‘Huyu mama bado anapumua, tumwokoe.’ When I regained consciousness at JOOTRH, my first question was about my son. The medics told me he was fine — no injuries, breastfeeding well, and very active. I thank God for that.”

Innocent was the only infant on board. Vicklyne, who suffered head and neck injuries, was devastated to learn that a 10-year-old girl who had been playing with her son during the journey did not survive. “I lost many friends and relatives that day,” she says.

Diana Auma, a healthcare assistant at JOOTRH, was among the first to attend to the baby. “He was covered in blood, and we feared serious cuts. We rushed him for CT scans, X-rays, and other tests, but found no internal injuries. We dressed him, comforted him, and traced his mother. Because of the trauma, we kept him under observation,” she says.

Beatrice Aluoch, Vicklyne’s aunt, has been helping care for the child since the day after the accident. “I rushed from Homa Bay when I got the news. I have been cleaning and looking after him, and when he needs to breastfeed, I coordinate with Vicklyne. He’s been doing well,” she says.

According to Dr Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary for Medical Services, 21 people died at the scene, five more succumbed at JOOTRH, and another later that night. At least 28 survivors remain admitted, many in critical condition.

Nyanza Regional Traffic Enforcement Officer Peter Maina said the bus lost control after crossing a bump, veered off the Kisumu–Kakamega Highway, and rolled several times before stopping. The victims from the Korwa clan and others from the Katieno clan of Koguta Katombo village in Nyakach had attended the burial of Risper Akeyo Ogendo in Nyahera. Those who traveled in private cars escaped the tragedy.

In Nyakach, grief is heavy. Wails echo from homestead to homestead as families mourn. Some households have been wiped out entirely; in others, survivors sit in silence. For Vicklyne, the loss is immense, but her son’s survival gives her strength.

“I named him Innocent Brighten because he truly deserves that name. He survived, and for that, I am forever grateful," she said.

For Innocent’s grandmother, Rose Atieno, the experience is both traumatic and a blessing.

"That night, I tried to sleep, but my thoughts were troubled. The next morning, I received a call from the same sister telling me we should go to JOOTRH. When I asked why, she said Vicklyne had been involved in a fatal accident but that both she and her baby had survived. I suspected things were serious, but I was relieved to know they were alive, "Atieno recalls.