A somber mood hangs over Arimi village in Elburgon following a tragic accident that claimed 12 lives, eight of them from the local community.
Two days after the horrific incident, families are still grappling with the pain, shock, and heartbreak of losing their loved ones.
In homes across the village, grief is etched on every face.
What began as an ordinary day ended in a nightmare that no one was prepared for and now, families are left making funeral plans they never imagined.
Among the bereaved is Charles Mwaura, who lost his 16-year-old son, Nickson Mbano, a Form Three student at Elburgon DEB Secondary School.
Holding a framed photograph of Nickson, Mwaura struggled to hold back tears.
“Niliskia kijana wangu alikuwa ametoka shule kuja nyumbani kutafuta karo, sikujua kwamba alikuwa katika gari hiyo. Nimebaki na uchungu sana…” Mwaura said in a trembling voice, recalling the last moments before his son boarded the ill-fated vehicle.
Nickson’s uncle, Mburu, echoed the call for government support in the wake of the tragedy.
“Tunataka serikali itusaidie. Katika ajali sehemu hiyo ya Arimi watu wengi wameangamia,” he said.
Just a kilometer away, Henry Waweru is coming to terms with an unimaginable loss — the death of his wife, Jecinter Wambui.
Ironically, Waweru was part of the rescue team and only discovered his wife’s fate after the recovery efforts had begun.
“Kusema ukweli bado nimeshtuka, sijajua kama mke wangu alikuwa hapo mpaka wakati tulikuwa tukiwaokoa…” Waweru recounted, still in disbelief.
Wambui had been returning from a colleague’s funeral with three others when tragedy struck.
Another villager, Peter Kamau, is grappling with the painful loss of his wife. Now left to raise their six-month-old baby alone, Kamau was too overwhelmed to speak.
As burial preparations get underway, the weight of organizing multiple funerals has placed an emotional and financial strain on families.
Community members are calling for support and unity as they come to terms with a collective loss that has shaken the entire village.
Authorities are yet to release a full report on the cause of the accident, but the impact it has left on Arimi village is already tragically clear.
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