Three die as truck veers off the road in Kisumu

Members of the public mill around the wreckage of a trailer that veered off the road killing three people and injuring two others near the Mamboleo junction in Kisumu on 30th August 2022. [Michael Mute, Standard]

Three pedestrians died on the spot while two others sustained serious injuries after a truck lost control and ploughed into them in Kisumu.

The accident happened along the Kisumu-Kakamega road on Tuesday evening at the Coptic roundabout.

According to witnesses, the driver of the truck appeared to have lost control and struggled to keep the vehicle on the road before the fatal accident.

The lorry was transporting sugar of unknown value from Kakamega to Kisumu, on reaching the Coptic Roundabout, it lost control and veered off the road ploughing into a boda boda stage before landing in a ditch.

The witnesses say that the impact of the accident was severe to the extent that the cabin was detached from the body of the truck and thrown about ten meters away.

Police have confirmed three dead, one woman and two men who are yet to be identified.

Regional traffic commander Mwangi Ng'ang'a said two other people sustained serious injuries and are undergoing treatment at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.

Residents living in the area have blamed the design of the road saying it wasn't constructed correctly. They claimed the road is too steep and has witnessed several accidents in the recent past while calling on the government to remove the roundabout which they say will prevent future incidences.

Boniface Egenyi said there have been several other accidents which have happened on the same road over years. "A lot of lives have been lost along this road and the steepness on the area doesn't help with the number of roundabouts on this road," he said.