Six people die, seven injured in Narok accident

A Toyota Sienta and a Subaru Forester were involved in a head-on collision. [iStockphoto]

At least six people have died and seven others injured in a grisly road accident at Silanga along the Narok-Mulot road.

The accident occurred after two vehicles, a Toyota Sienta and a Subaru Forester were involved in a head-on collision about four kilometres from Narok town.

Narok Central Sub County Police Commander John Momanyi said the Toyota Sienta was heading towards Mulot when it collided with the Narok-bound Subaru that was overtaking during the incident that occurred at midnight.

Momanyi noted that six people including the driver of the Toyota Sienta, died on the spot while the driver of the Subaru was rushed to Cottage Hospital for treatment.

"The driver of Toyota Sienta and five unknown occupants died on the spot following the impact, while the driver of Subaru Forester complained of chest pains and was rushed to Cottage Hospital in Narok town," he said.

The injured were rushed to different hospitals in Narok town. The bodies were removed to Narok District Hospital Mortuary pending identification and postmortem.

The wreckage of the vehicles was towed to Narok Police Station pending inspection.

Addressing faithful during a church service in Narok two weeks ago, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen termed the rising road accidents in the country as a national catastrophe that must be addressed under an all-government and all-public approach.

The CS noted that there is still a challenge in reducing road carnage and urged Kenyans to wear safety belts and stop boarding vehicles that carry excess passengers.

Murkomen assured that the Ministry of Transport is working closely with traffic police officers and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to restore sanity on the roads.

He said addressing 'our manners' as a nation must be part of the efforts to tackle road accidents while reminding motorcycle riders to also wear helmets.

"In the past 20 years, we have been losing an average of 3,800 people annually. Many of these accidents are attributed to reckless driving and lack of respect for pedestrians. Others are caused by overloading and drunken driving," said Murkomen.

"When President Kibaki exited office, we were having about 3,500 lives lost every year, a number that had risen to 4,400 by the time I took office," he said.

The CS said statistics indicate that 3,000 people died in 2004, some 4,600 in 2009 and in 2022 at least 4,650 fatalities were reported.

So far since January, 1,213 people have lost their lives compared to 1,146 around the same time last year in which 4,300 people perished.