One dead, over 6 seriously injured as Nairobi matatu crashes on busy highway

An ambulance at the scene where one person has died and several others were seriously injured in a grisly road accident involving a Nairobi matatu and a pedestrian along the Airport North road. (Photo: Jael Wakesho, Standard)

One person has died, and several others were seriously injured in a grisly road accident involving a Nairobi matatu and a pedestrian along the Airport North road.

The 8 am crash left a grim scene on the busy highway as shattered glass, oil spills, and blood splashed across the road.

The body of the pedestrian lay on the tarmac, covered in a leso as stunned bystanders gathered at the scene.

Curious motorists slowed down to catch a glimpse of the accident, leading to heavy traffic snarl-ups along the road between 75 and Cabanas.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene and administered first aid to the injured before ferrying them to the hospital.

Some of the victims were treated at the roadside before being rushed to various medical facilities in Nairobi, while others with minor injuries were attended to on-site.

An eyewitness and survivor, John Marai, said the Enabled bus was heading towards the city centre before the accident happened.

“We were on our way to town as usual. The driver was not even speeding. Suddenly, a pedestrian attempted to cross the road. The driver tried to swerve to avoid hitting him, that’s when he hit the pavement and rolled over, crushing some of my fellow passengers’ legs,” he said.

A bodaboda rider who witnessed the incident claimed that the pedestrian who died was not the one the driver was attempting to avoid.

“It was a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said, adding that the tout jumped out of the bus before it rolled.

The bus driver sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital under police escort. Other passengers were seen limping from the wreckage, some clutching their injured limbs as they waited for help.

Traffic police officers arrived at the scene, cordoning off the area as a crane was deployed to remove the wreckage from the road.

The police redirected vehicles as panic and confusion spread, with injured survivors crying in shock inside ambulances.