Student dies after jumping off matatu

The late Edwin Kipkemoi Langat, a fourth year nursing student at Kabarak University. [Courtesy]

A university student has succumbed to fatal head injuries he sustained during a desperate attempt to escape from a reckless matatu driver.

Edwin Kipkemoi Langat,21, a fourth year nursing student at Kabarak university died on Thursday at Kericho County hospital where he had been admitted for treatment for injuries he sustained on Sunday evening. 

In the wake of the death, Langat’s family from Longisa in Bomet County demanded that the driver be held responsible. 

“It pains us to lose our family member who we had struggled to educate and was our beacon of hope. We were looking forward for his graduation as he was in his last semester at the university,” said the deceased’s uncle, Nehemia Kiptoo.

Kiptoo demanded for the arrest and the prosecution of the driver for causing the student’s death. 

“We want justice to be done against the driver who caused our kin’s death,” he said. 

Kericho East Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Justus Kitetu, said they had already arrested the driver following the death of the student. 

“We had initially arrested and charged the driver for careless driving and defying police orders to stop but with the death of the student we have re-arrested him and will prefer more charges against him,” he said. 

Kitetu, added that though a traffic police officer had intercepted the vehicle at Kericho town on the fateful Sunday, the driver had defied orders to proceed to the local police station and sped off. 

 “We had received information that the driver who was from Kisii County  was driving recklessly but upon interception in Kericho, the driver defied police orders to stop and sped off forcing scared passengers to begin to jump off the vehicle after it reached Chagaik along the Kericho-Nakuru highway,” he said. 

Besides the deceased university student who was on his way back to the campus, four other passengers had jumped off the speeding vehicle but had sustained minor injuries. They were treated and discharged at the Kericho county hospital 

Kitetu, warned drivers against defying police orders to stop. 

 “Most importantly, they must observe traffic rules at all time and ensure that their vehicles are road worthy,” he said.