Kisumu Coptic roundabout demolished after tragic accident
By Ascah Mwango, August 16, 2025The Coptic roundabout along the Kisumu-Kakamega Highway has been demolished following a devastating accident that killed 26 people.
Images circulating on the internet show the roundabout partially covered with heaps of soil and scattered debris. The piles of earth have blocked the area, preventing motorists from using the junction.
The fatal crash occurred on the night of Friday, August 8, 2025, when a bus transporting mourners from a funeral in Nyahera lost control near the roundabout. The vehicle veered off the road, plunged into a ditch, and overturned, resulting in the deaths of 26 residents of Nyakach village.
The bus had been carrying members of the Korwa and Katieno clans from Koguta Katombo village. Families traveling together were wiped out in an instant. Twenty-one people died immediately at the scene, while five others later succumbed to injuries at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Among the victims was a 10-year-old girl. Survivors were rushed to the hospital with severe injuries, some fighting for their lives.
The impact of the crash was devastating for the community. Some households were left without a single surviving member, leaving children orphaned and families shattered.
At the JOOTRH mortuary, relatives gathered to identify their loved ones. The air was thick with sorrow as caskets were prepared, and many could barely come to terms with the scale of the loss.
Following postmortems, the bodies were released to the families and transported back to Nyakach for traditional Luo night vigils. Relatives and friends kept watch over the caskets, singing hymns and mourning through the night.
Mass burial
The victims are being laid to rest in a mass burial ceremony at Naki Primary School currently. Hundreds of mourners have attended, including community leaders, church groups, neighbours, and extended family members, coming together to support the bereaved. To maintain the focus on mourning, organisers prohibited political speeches during the event.
The government contributed Ksh4.4 million to help cover medical and burial expenses. Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o and ODM leader Raila Odinga also provided additional support to ease the families’ burden.
At Naki Primary School, the grief is palpable. Rows of coffins marked the lives lost, and in some homesteads, multiple graves have been dug side by side to bury entire families.