Trader dies while on expedition to climb Mt Longonot

A trip by a group of Nairobi businessmen to Mt Longonot National Park in Naivasha ended on a tragic note after one of them died.

The trader is said to have developed breathing problems.

The traders arrived at the park full of vigour and keen to shed some weight by hiking Mt Longonot but hours later, they were instead shedding tears of pain after the death.

For four hours, the traders had frantically sought help from the local Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers.

Henry Mureithi said they waited in vain for help before their friend passed on at around 6pm on Saturday.

He said the group from Nairobi had begun climbing the mountain in the afternoon.

According to him, the deceased started complaining of dizziness and chest congestion, forcing his colleagues to run downhill and call rescuers from KWS.

"It is a steep stretch and you cannot carry someone. You have to call for help from KWS officers who were also not sure what to do in such a situation," said Mr Mureithi.

He accused KWS warders of laxity and negligence, noting that the life of the trader would have been saved if quick action had been taken.

However, a senior KWS official who declined to be named said the only way of rescuing someone trapped around the crater was using a helicopter, which they did not have.

"You can only rescue somebody by a helicopter and there is a process in requesting for one from our headquarters in Nairobi," he said.

The body was later transferred to a private mortuary in Nairobi.

Meanwhile, a man died after he was hit by a speeding car along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway on Saturday night.

The man, who was said to have been drunk, was heading home when he was knocked at Mithuri, about two kilometres from Naivasha town.

And local residents have threatened to block the road if the Government does not erect speed bumps on the killer stretch.