Nine people perish in Kericho road accident

The wreckage of the matatu involved in the crash. [Nikko Tanui]

Nine people died in a road accident at Nyaberi along the Kericho-Kisumu highway yesterday.

The 3.30pm accident occurred when a lorry heading towards Kisumu collided head-on with a matatu belonging to Wareng Luxury Shuttle, which was travelling towards Kericho from Eldoret.

When the The Standard team arrived, the bodies were still at the accident scene and rescuers were still trying to remove the injured from the mangled wreck of the matatu.

Serious injuries

Six other passengers in the matatu sustained serious injuries and were taken to the Kericho County Referral Hospital.

John Sigei, an eyewitness, said before the crash, the driver of the trailer tried to warn pedestrians and motorists of looming danger.

“When the driver of the lorry noticed that the vehicle had developed a problem, he started hooting as the vehicle sped downhill before crashing into the matatu at the foot of the hill,” he said.

Former Roads minister Franklin Bett, who was on his farm a few kilometres from the accident site and who was among those who rushed to the scene, said only roadworthy vehicles and competent drivers should be allowed on roads.

Speed bumps

“Public service vehicles and lorry drivers must be changed after a shift of eight hours. Though as a former roads minister I don’t support the erection of speed bumps whenever an accident occurs on a section of the road some areas along the Kenyan roads must have some form of speed control systems and warnings,” he said.

Mr Bett described Nyaberi as a black spot that stretches from Kaitui to Kipsitet.

“The National Transport and Safety Authority must come up with ways of reducing the number of road accidents along the Kericho-Kisumu highway because the issue of traffic control and roadworthiness of vehicles is in their hands,” he said.