Hours, after their bus got involved in an accident killing 34 people in Tharaka Nithi County, the Modern Coast transport services, have finally been halted.
This is after the Director General of the National Transport and Safety Authority George Njao in a press statement said 31 vehicles belonging to the authority will stop operating in the Country.
“Following a fatal road traffic crash that occurred on Sunday 24 July 2022 at the Nithi Bridge, Tharaka Nithi county that has since claimed the lives of 34 passengers, the Authority hereby halts the operations of Modern Coast Express Limited,” Njao stated.
It is not clear how long the suspension will last, as the director general did not specify.
It is to allow for investigations that have commenced on the suitability of its vehicles to operate on the Kenyan roads.
Their immediate suspension will affect seven routes that the transport company has been serving in the recent past.
“A thorough multi-agency investigation into the crash and an evaluation of the operator’s safety operational standards is currently underway,” Njao added.
The affected routes include Nairobi-Mombasa, Mombasa-Mtwapa-Kilifi-Malindi-Witu-Mpeketoni-Lamu, Nairobi-Nakuru-Kisumu-Kakamega-Busia, Nairobi-Nakuru-Kisumu-Eldoret-Malaba, Nairobi-Narok-Kisii-Homa Bay- Migori-Isibania, Mombasa-Makindu-Wote-Kitui-Machakos, and Nairobi-Thika-Embu-Meru-Maua.
The Modern Coast accident that plunged into river Nithi was on its way to Mombasa from Meru County.
So far the cause of the accident is not yet established. 9 people are being treated with serious injuries.
