Nithi Tragic Accident Leaves Modern Coast Bus Operations Suspended by NTSA

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has suspended all Modern Coast Bus operations following the Tharaka Nithi accident that claimed 34 lives.

 According to NTSA’s Director General George Njau, “a thorough multi-agency investigation into the crash and an evaluation of the operator’s safety operational standards is currently underway.”

He indicated that the operations of all thirty-one vehicles belonging to Modern Coast Bus will be halted for this period.

The accident occured on Sunday at about 6pm when the bus plunged into the river, about 40 metres down, killing 20 people on the spot. Six others were pronounced dead on arrival in hospital.

The search and rescue was, however, called off until Monday morning when six more bodies were retrieved.

Police said preliminary investigations had shown that the bus plunged into the river due to brake failure at the bridge that is marked as a black spot.

 The same bus had on numerous occasions been driven carelessly on various occasions, prompting passengers to press authorities to remove it from the road.

The complaints are dated as far back as 2016, with various Twitter posts calling for action to be taken against its driver.

The Modern Coast bus company was owned by the late Shahid Pervez Butt, who was gunned down by unknown people on July 11, 2014 in Changamwe, Mombasa as he drove from the Moi International Airport.

Following his death, a succession row over the control of his Sh5 billion estate ensued and it was resolved after eight years in court

due to the high number of accidents that have occurred there.

The Modern Coast bus, which was headed to Mombasa, is said to have left Meru town around 5pm Sunday. On reaching Nithi bridge, a notorious blackspot, witnesses say the driver appeared to lose control as the bus hurtled down the steep slope at top speed before plunging into the river.

“The accident occurred at about 6pm, and we are having challenges retrieving the bodies,” a local police officer said.

There were fears that some of the bodies may have been swept away.