BY MANUEL ODENY

Nyamira county is mourning as a record 18 people, including ten from one family died in gruesome road accidents over the weekend.

On Sunday night a gruesome road accident occurred along the Oyugis–Sondu Road in Homa Bay County that claimed the family members barely 24 hours after another crash that claimed eight lives along the Nyamira–Ikonge Road on Saturday night.

Rachuonyo East Sub-County Police Commander Laban Omollo said the Sunday accident occurred at around 8 p.m. and involved a lorry and a Nissan matatu.

“The accident happened when the driver of a lorry carrying cement heading toward Sondu attempted to overtake a Nissan private vehicle coming from the opposite direction. Both drivers could not give way because of deep ditches on either side of the road, resulting in a head-on collision that caused the instant death of 10 people,” said Commander Omol.

He added that several others sustained serious injuries and were rushed to nearby health facilities for treatment.

Bokiambori Assistant Chief Joseph Nyambati confirmed that the ten people who perished were members of the same family.

“The deceased were returning from a wedding ceremony for a relative in western Kenya when they met their untimely death,” said Nyambati.

Already several local leaders and residents have sent condolence messages to the affected family, describing the twin accidents as deeply tragic.

They called on road users to be extra cautious to curb the rising number of accidents during the festive season.