Student, teacher killed after school bus rolls down cliff

A teacher and a student died in a road accident involving a school bus in the Patkwanin area along the Marigat-Kabarnet road.

The accident occurred when the driver of the Kapsabet Boys High School bus reportedly lost control of the vehicle before it rolled down a cliff.

Baringo County Police Commander Julius Kiragu said the accident occurred at around 2pm yesterday.

"A teacher and a student lost their lives while the rest of the students sustained multiple injuries and were rushed to Marigat and Kabarnet Hospital for treatment," he said.

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The students were on an academic trip in the area. The police boss said four school buses were heading to Lake Baringo.

Kiragu said they have commenced investigations to establish the cause of the accident. He said they suspected the vehicle developed a mechanical problem.

"Investigations will help to tell us exactly what happened but we are treating it as a mechanical issue," he said.

Bodies of the deceased were taken to Marigat sub-county hospital morgue.

He called on drivers using the road to be careful as the road is steep and full of meanders.

Kapsabet Boys High School Chief Principal Kipchumba Maiyo said the bus was ferrying Form 2E and Form 2C Geography students.

He said the students left school at 8am before the 62-seater bus was involved in the accident at around 2pm. The bus had 61 students and a teacher on board.

Hillary Kiptui, a witness, said the school bus rolled over a bridge while descending a sharp corner.

Kiptui said residents who were near the area were the first responders and rescued many students who were trapped in the bus.

"The road has a lot of sharp corners and we believe that the driver must have been new to the road," said Kiptui.