Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho consoles the family, July 21, 2017. [Photo: Ali Hassan Joho]Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho visited the family, which lost its 6-year-old son in a tragic school bus accident.The incident which happened in Majengo, Friday morning, saw the kindergarten pupil drop from an opening of the school bus he had boarded, to school.The boy was in company of other pupils, including his elder sister of Standard Two, when he dropped, without the driver's knowledge, with the bus' back wheels running over him.The driver of St Augustine’s Preparatory School, bus, fled after the 6 am incident, leaving other pupils in shock."My profound sympathies and heartfelt condolences go out to the Masila Family who lost their child the late Jeremy Masila in a tragic school bus incident. Mombasa mourns with you and may the Almighty grant you all strength to endure this painful loss," Joho said after visiting the family."As the county government we will take swift and stern measures to ensure the safety of our children in schools. May the Almighty rest the young angel's soul in eternal peace," he added.
The scene of the accident, that saw St Augustine’s Preparatory School, pupil crushed by his school bus in Majengo, Mombasa, July 21, 2017. [Photo: Daily Nation]The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) has since ordered for an investigation into an incident.Alexander Muteti, a Senior Assistant to the DPP has directed the Mombasa County Criminal Investigations Officer to appoint a senior officer to head investigations into the incident.In a letter, hours after the accident, Muteti said this was not a matter that should be approached purely from a traffic accident angle and therefore the need to have a seasoned detective to deal with the same.It also directed that the school bus should be impounded, inspected and photographed including the inner part where the opening on the floor, that saw the pupil drop, and crashed by the back wheels.“The safety of school going children is a matter of great public interest and calls for immediate and thorough investigations into the matter to unearth the circumstances leading to the unfortunate incident,” the letter read in part.This even as the National Transport Authority (NTSA) said the administrators of the school would be charged.This is after preliminary investigations revealed the school bus had a corroded floor plate, covered with a carpet.