Family of university student involved in accident wants justice

Eric Kiptoo, a second year studet at Chepkoilel campus in Eldoret who was hit by Siaya County Government vehicle. MARCH 13, 2017 PHOTO:STANDARD/MOSES KIPSANG

The family of one of two university students involved in a road accident at Salgaa trading centre are demanding justice.

The weekend accident that occurred when a vehicle belonging to Siaya County rammed a stalled trailer also left two people dead and one student in a coma. The trailer was being repaired by the roadside.

The dead were a university student, Eric Kiptoo, and the driver of the trailer, Festus Muli, 26. Another student, Willy Bett, 22, is nursing serious injuries at the War Memorial Hospital in Nakuru.

Mr Kiptoo, 23, was a Second Year student undertaking a degree course in agricultural economics at the Eldoret-based Chepkoilel University.

Kiptoo's mother, Anne Koskey, told The Standard that although the vehicle that caused the accident belongs to the county, no official had communicated with the family.

She said her son was heading to Nakuru town in the company of a friend, who is a student at the Cooperative University in Nairobi undertaking a business information technology degree course.

"Kiptoo was a disciplined son and each time we communicated, he gave me hope of improving my life. It is unfortunate he has died before realising his dream," said Ms Koskey.

His sister, Viola Chepkoech, said the family had sold almost its entire land to pay for Kiptoo's education, only for him to die early in his life.

"My father has sold almost his entire property to educate my brother but he met his death prematurely," she said. The family asked the police to conduct quick investigations into the accident.