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Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Kisumu – Nyakach is reeling in grief that words cannot capture as the Korwa and Katieno clans face a loss unprecedented in living memory.

This comes as 22 of their loved ones, killed in last week’s Kisumu-Kakamega Highway bus crash, were returned home for a joint funeral that has left the community both broken and united in sorrow.

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On Friday, August 8, 54 members of the clans set out from Naki Secondary School to Nyahera in Kisumu West to attend the burial of 78-year-old Risper Akeyo Ogendo.

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What began as a sombre journey soon became a nightmare that would shake the village to its core.

Chrispine Otieno, a relative of one of the survivors, recounted the mood as they left, revealing that they were in high spirits.

That spirit was brutally cut short at Kisumu’s Coptic Roundabout, where the bus carrying the mourners was involved in a horrific crash.

According to official records, 21 people died on the spot, and five others succumbed to their injuries in the hospital.

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On Friday, August 15, a week after the tragedy, the village faced the enormity of the loss as Naki Primary School was transformed into a field of mourning.

When the procession from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary reached Koguta Katombo village for a vigil, the scale of the tragedy became even clearer.

Loudspeakers blasted gospel hymns across the grounds, calling thousands of grieving residents to pay their respects.

The 22 hearses, each bearing the name of the deceased, moved slowly in solemn formation, with some locals standing beside the road in muffled discussions.

Mourners wandered from home to home, carrying flowers, photographs, and handwritten notes, trying to offer comfort amid a loss too immense for anyone to fully grasp.

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Engineer Vincent Kodera, chairperson of the funeral organising committee, confirmed that a joint memorial and burial service would take place today at Naki Primary School.

Kodera emphasised that the decision to hold a collective service was meant to help the community grieve together and begin the long process of healing.

He also stressed that the funeral would remain apolitical, explaining that they would not allow political speeches.

As earlier reported, ODM leader Raila Odinga donated KSh 1 million to support the families of 26 victims who died in a tragic road accident at the Coptic Roundabout in Kisumu.

Kisumu governor Anyang’ Nyong’o joined families at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital as they collected the bodies.

Governor Nyong’o announced a fund drive to support the bereaved families, with details to be published in newspapers.

Source: TUKO.co.ke