A journey by university students travelling from Mombasa to Kisumu to mourn a colleague turned tragic after their vehicle was involved in a road accident along the Awasi-Ahero highway, with several students feared dead.
The students were heading to the burial of their colleague, Elvis Otieno, popularly known as “Beast”, when the accident occurred, Siaya Governor James Orengo said in a statement.
Orengo said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic loss” of the students, describing their trip as “a journey of solidarity that ended in unimaginable grief.”
The governor expressed his condolences to the families of those affected, as well as the students’ friends and colleagues who were preparing to attend the burial.
“To the grieving families, friends, and the entire TUM comrade fraternity: my thoughts and prayers are with you during this dark hour,” Orengo said.
He also prayed for strength for the bereaved families and fellow students as they come to terms with the tragedy.
“May God grant you strength, and may their young souls rest in eternal power,” Orengo said.
The students had travelled from Mombasa as part of the group heading to Kisumu to bid farewell to Otieno.
The crash along the Awasi-Ahero highway cut short the journey, with several students feared dead.
The incident has plunged the student fraternity into mourning, turning what was meant to be a journey to stand with a bereaved colleague’s family into another moment of grief.
More details on the accident and the casualties are expected to follow.