By Kevin Ogutu
The evening of August 7 started off as a quiet and normal one in Kisumu – like many others before it. But it would soon turn into a night that will forever be etched in the memory of survivors and families affected by the horrific Nyakach school bus accident that claimed 21 lives.
As news of the tragedy involving the AIC Naki High School bus broke, shock and grief spread across the county. Within minutes, calls and messages started circulating about dead and dozens injured, many of them bleeding profusely after the bus overturned and landed into a ditch.
Nyakamami Foundation received the news almost immediately.
According to the Foundation Manager, Mr. Solomon Amuti, their first instinct was not to wait – but to act.
“When we got the information about the tragedy, the first thing we did was to rush to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital to assess the situation and see how, as a foundation, we would come in to help,” said Amuti.
At JOOTRH, he teamed up with Hon. Marium Abeid – the Nominated MCA for Kisumu County Assembly – alongside other well-wishers. The most urgent need at that moment was blood. Many survivors had lost a lot of blood and were fighting for their lives. They immediately began mobilizing members of the public to turn out for a blood donation drive that evening and the days that followed.
The response from Kisumu residents was encouraging. People streamed into the hospital to donate – proof once again that in moments of pain, Kisumu stands together.
Later, Kisumu County leadership convened a funds drive to assist the grieving families with burial arrangements and other related expenses. Nyakamami Foundation was present and contributed KSh 100,000, which was recorded officially as part of the support directed to the affected families.
Amuti says this is what the Foundation stands for.
“With support from other partners, Nyakamami Foundation will always step up whenever such tragedies strike,” he said. “We will continue standing with communities in times of difficulty, because humanity requires that we share in each other’s pain and offer support where we can.”