Video captures TUM students hanging from bus before deadly Kisumu crash
By William Muthama, August 8, 2026A video circulating online has captured moments before a bus carrying Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) students overturned on the Kisumu–Awasi Highway, killing two people and injuring 29 others.
The footage, filmed while the bus was still moving, shows some students hanging from the vehicle.
One person can be seen clinging to the side of the bus through an open window, while others lean out of the windows and cheer.
Others are also seen travelling on top of the bus as it moves along the highway.
The video also appears to show the bus veering at one point.
As it passes a smaller bus travelling in the same direction, passengers on the other vehicle are seen reacting to the students.
The video then appears to show the vehicle losing control before the footage becomes unclear.
In the moments following the crash, distressed voices can be heard, with people shouting “inuka” as they appear to respond to the overturned bus.
The accident occurred on Friday, August 7, 2026, near Ahero, also reported as the Ngere or Boya area, in Kisumu County.
The bus was part of a convoy carrying TUM students from Mombasa to the burial of former TUM Students’ Association president Elvis Otieno, popularly known as “Beast”.
Otieno had died weeks earlier following an epileptic attack.
According to the university, the students had arrived safely in Kisumu earlier that day and received Otieno’s body after it was airlifted from Mombasa. The crash occurred as the convoy travelled towards the burial site in Awasi.
How did the driver lose control?
TUM Vice Chancellor Prof. Laila Abubakar said the last bus in the convoy overturned after its driver swerved to avoid a head-on collision with an oncoming saloon car that was travelling at high speed.
The driver lost control during the manoeuvre, causing the bus to overturn.
Two male students died in the crash, while 29 others were injured and treated at Lisa Hospital in Ahero and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu.
A survivor, Brian Ochieng, who was travelling with the convoy, said some students were travelling inside the bus while others were on top of it.
“There were students inside the bus while others were sitting on top. Those who sustained serious injuries were mainly those inside because the vehicle landed on its side,” Ochieng recounted.
Video raises road safety concerns
The circulating video has since raised concerns about passenger safety and the circumstances surrounding the journey.
Dean of Students Joel Awino confirmed that the group had left Mombasa the previous day and that the journey had been smooth until the final stretch.
University officials have offered condolences to the families of those who died and said they are supporting the injured students and affected families.