A month-long nightmare came to a heartbreaking end for the family of Dorothy Atieno, whose body was finally identified after lying unclaimed at Londiani Sub-County Morgue for four weeks.
Atieno, who left Nairobi for her Kisumu home on January 2, never arrived. Her phone went off before evening, leaving her family in anguish as they clung to hope that she would be found alive. That hope slowly faded as days turned into weeks.
Tragically, Atieno had perished in a grisly road accident at the Tunnel area on the Fort Ternan-Londiani road on the very day she disappeared.
The Long Road to Identification
With no immediate identification, her body remained at the morgue while authorities struggled to determine her identity. It was only after Fort Ternan Traffic Base Commander Benjamin Cheruiyot interviewed a survivor—who had sat next to her in the ill-fated Uwezo Sacco bus—that a crucial lead emerged.
The survivor recalled that the woman had introduced herself as “Mercy,” a receptionist at Check-Mate Inn in Kawangware. She had mentioned that she was to alight at Korowe, near Ahero.
Commander Cheruiyot shared the details online, where the viral message eventually reached Atieno’s colleagues, who alerted a relative in Kisumu. This led the family to a desperate search through various traffic offices, from Londiani to Kipkelion and finally to Fort Ternan, where they were directed to the morgue.
On January 30, the family made the painful confirmation: their daughter was among the crash victims.
A Tragic End
According to Commander Cheruiyot, the accident occurred when the bus hit a pothole, lost control, and began swerving violently. It struck the escarpment’s walls before Atieno was thrown through the front window and crushed by the bus.
Her devastated mother, Esther Anyango, fought back tears as she spoke. “As a mother, I feel the profound pain, but I thank God I have found my daughter’s body.”
Her father, George Ogutu, echoed the sorrow. “The demise of my daughter has pricked my heart.”
Her sister, Macline Aoko, who had spoken to Dorothy on the day of the tragedy, could barely contain her grief. “I have lost a sister whom I dearly loved. For now, we focus on giving her a proper burial.”
Dorothy Atieno’s body was moved to Ahero Sub-County Morgue on Thursday, January 30, awaiting burial.
