Crowd burns two matatus involved in accidents

Public Service Vehicle plying up Nairobi's Langata road goes up in flames when irate members of public burnt it after the matatu hit and killed a cyclist along the road. (Photo: Elvis Ogina/Standard)

Two public service vehicles were at the weekend burnt down following separate fatal accidents in Nairobi.

The drivers of the matatus were racing to the city centre when they hit cyclists, killing them on the spot.

Angry crowds reportedly attacked the drivers when they stopped and set ablaze their vehicles.

They accused the drivers of being reckless on the road.

The first incident happened along Lang'ata Road on Saturday afternoon where a 33-seater matatu plying the Rongai-Nairobi route was torched by angry boda boda operators after it killed a cyclist near Uhuru Gardens.

Lang'ata OCPD Elijah Maina Mwangi said the driver of the matatu was racing to the city centre.

"This attracted the attention of boda boda operators who attacked the new matatu before burning it. It is wrong," said Mwangi.

He cautioned Kenyans against taking the law into their own hands.

"Now we have two cases to investigate – that of the accident and that of torching the matatu. It is not the right way to do things," Mr Mwangi said.

None of the passengers on board was injured.

Another matatu plying the Kayole route was also torched on Saturday night after it killed a rider along Jogoo Road in Nairobi.

Nairobi head of traffic Leonard Katana said the matatu was speeding to the city centre when the accident happened.

The accident attracted the attention of other riders who attacked the driver, forcing him to escape before they torched the 42-seater matatu.

He said such incidents are on the increase and blamed the situation on boda boda operators who are operating outside the law.

Another matatu was burnt along Ngong Road near the bypass after hitting a pedestrian on December 28. A similar incident happened on Mombasa Road last month.