By Steve Mkawale and Cyrus Ombati
The Kapsoit oil tanker blast that left one person dead and scores injured rekindled memories of the Sachang’wan tragedy, which claimed 136 lives in February.
Time of occurrence of the two accidents is almost similar, raising questions as to why oil tankers take trips at dusk.
The Kapsoit accident took place at 5.30pm, slightly an hour behind the Sachang’wan tanker tragedy.
On both occasions, petroleum was being ferried to a neighbouring country.
After the accidents, the drivers and loaders escaped from the scenes before the explosions.
Police say the tankers’ accidents have ‘something to do with siphoning of petroleum products’ rampant on the Nakuru-Kisumu highway.
In the Sachang’wan tragedy, the driver was said to have stopped on loose ground, forcing the tanker to veer off, landing on its side and spilling fuel. Villagers, armed with containers, had rushed to the scene to scoop petrol before General Service Unit officers arrived and attempted to keep them away.
But things got out of hand when the officers allegedly demanded cash from the villagers to allow them scoop the product.
It was alleged that an angry villager struck a matchstick, starting the fire that killed 91 people on the spot.
Spilt oil
In the Kapsoit incident, there were officers trying to stop the villagers from scooping the spilt product.
When the tanker, belonging to Transcom Traders, veered off the road and rolled down the valley, residents rushed to the scene to help themselves to the spilled oil.
But in the process, one allegedly decided to vandalise the tanker by removing its battery.
According to witnesses, sparks from the battery terminals started the fire that left 48 of them with serious burns.
One of the victims succumbed to injuries at Kericho District Hospital seven hours later. Although police blame the villagers for risking their lives by rushing to accident scenes, little has been done to enhance public awareness and safety on the highways.
"Police response to accidents involving tankers has been poor while rescue operation too slow," said Mr Alfred Too, a resident of Kapsoit.
Yesterday, police said preliminary investigations had shown the fire started after an electric fault as somebody tried to detach the lorry’s battery.
Deputy Police Spokesman Charles Wahong’o said burns sustained were serious.
"Doctors said these kind of burns are serious and can lead to death if not well attended to in time," said Mr Wahong’o, who addressed the Press in Nairobi.
Wahong’o said police, who had responded immediately, were jeered and ridiculed by the crowd, which was busy trying to loot fuel.
The officer urged Kenyans to stop rushing to accident scenes saying it could result in death or injury.
