By KPC Reporter
Fourteen years apart, two church choirs—Rwanda’s Ambassadors of Christ and Kenya’s Rangenyo SDA—were silenced by road tragedies, leaving congregations grieving voices that once carried faith and comfort.
On May 9, 2011, the Ambassadors of Christ Choir from Kigali lost three members in a fatal road accident, a tragedy that shook Rwanda’s gospel music community.
Fourteen years later, a hauntingly similar loss unfolded in rural Nyamira County.
On Sunday night, eight members of the Rangenyo SDA Choir were killed in a horrific road crash near Chabera along the Oyugis–Sondu Road, devastating families, church members and an entire community that had grown up around their music.
The choir, celebrated for leading worship and performing at weddings and funerals, was returning home from a wedding in Kakamega when the accident occurred.
What had been a journey of joy ended in twisted metal, silence and grief.
Like the Ambassadors of Christ years earlier, the Rangenyo choir’s harmonies brought hope to the broken-hearted.
By dawn on Monday, their once-vibrant group had been reduced from 31 active members to 23.
Church elder John Moriasi described the choir as “a tight-knit group whose music served as a pillar of comfort at weddings, funerals and community gatherings.”
“The loss is heavy and painful beyond words,” he said.
“Wherever there was grief, they were there to console. Wherever there was joy, they were there to celebrate.”
The deceased had travelled to Kakamega on Saturday for a wedding and left after prayers at about 4:30 pm.
Their return journey began on Sunday at 3 pm, just 40 kilometres from home when tragedy struck.
Among the dead were the bride’s parents.
The Rangenyo SDA Choir was founded in 1994 by Rachel Moraa Nyamboga, whose passion for music shaped its identity.
She trained the singers and composed many of the songs they still perform today. She did not travel with the group due to illness.
“She built this choir from nothing,” Mr Moriasi said.
“Many of the songs we sing today were composed by her.”
According to Rachuonyo County Hospital administrator Charles Ayalo, the facility received a distress call at around 11 pm.
“When we arrived, we were met with a horrific scene,” he said.
“There were six female bodies and four male bodies.” Six survivors with serious injuries were rushed to hospital before being referred to Nyamira County Referral Hospital.
For some families, the pain was unbearable.
Patrick Wanga, who lost a relative in the crash, said they had buried another family member days earlier after a separate accident along the same route.
“We had not even healed from the last burial, and then this happened,” he said.
Eyewitness Walter Moseti, who lost his brother, said the matatu was climbing a hill when an oncoming cement truck lost control while overtaking.
“It swept them away and killed them instantly,” he said, urging motorists to be careful.
Police confirmed the collision involved a cement truck and a matatu travelling in opposite directions. Rachuonyo East Sub-County Police Commander Laban Omol warned against reckless driving, drug use and boarding overloaded vehicles.
Back in Rangenyo, the tragedy has been the source of sorrow and torrential tears.
“When they sang, even the broken-hearted found strength,” Mr Moriasi said.
“Now, the voices that healed others are gone.”
The Rangenyo tragedy came against the backdrop of a worrying spike in fatal road accidents across the country.
Just a day earlier, eight people were killed in a separate crash along the Nyamira–Kericho Road.
Also, the recent death of businessman and politician Cyrus Jirongo in a road accident along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway has further heightened concerns over safety on Kenyan roads.
There has been a spike in road accidents as the festive season begins, renewing urgent calls for caution on Kenya’s highways.