Four of the nine people who died in the Naivasha accident have been identified as a Catholic catechist, his wife, and their two children, who were heading to their home in Gilgil when the accident occurred.
Their 10-year-old child and house-help were the only survivors in the Matatu, which was hit by a speeding bus near Karai centre along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway three days ago.
During the incident, a Greenline Bus heading to Nairobi from Kimilili left its lane at around midnight and hit the matatu, killing eight passengers in the matatu and one minor in the bus.
The catechist James Njoroge was working in Ridgeways, Nairobi, while his wife Teresia Wanjiru was a teacher in Gilgil, and they were in the company of their three children when the accident occurred.
A brother to the catechist Thuku Kibari told of their pain on learning of the deaths, which left one of the minors fighting for her life in Naivasha sub-county hospital.
He said that they last met during the festive season, where they made plans on how to expand their mother’s house before the tragic event.
“My brother, the wife, three children, and their house-girl were travelling to Gilgil when the accident occurred, leaving the couple and two children dead,” he said amid tears.
The brother-in-law, Peter Kihagi, said that they had identified the bodies and were making plans to transfer them ahead of their burial in their rural home in Kirigiti, Kiambu.
“We are waiting for the postmortem to be conducted before ferrying the bodies to Nairobi as we start burial preparations,” he said.
Another relative, Naomi Wambui, told of their agony, terming the catechist a pillar for the family and friends.
“He has been there for anyone during the hard times and this is a very painful moment for the family and friends,” she said.
While eulogizing the four, Gilgil MP Martha Wangari termed the incident as a major blow not only to the family but also to area residents.
In a post, the MP noted that tens of people were losing their lives along the highway with careless driving and overtaking to blame for the accidents.
“It’s really painful to lose four family members and it's time that the Ministry of Transport acted on these rising numbers of fatal accidents in the country,” she said.