NAIROBI, March 23 (NNN-KBC) — All eleven passengers travelling in a matatu (minibus) were killed in a road accident at Kikopey along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway on Friday morning.
The eleven who included five men and six women died on the spot after a trailer heading to Nakuru from Nairobi rammed into their matatu near Gilgil town.
Scores of other motorists escaped with minor injuries after the lorry that has allegedly developed a mechanical problem hit them before rolling several times.
At the scene, personal effects soaked in blood and fuel were littered all over as police tried to control the surging crowd.
The wreckage of the matatu and the trailer lay on opposite side of the road following the 930Am accident that led to a massive traffic snarl-up.
Speaking on phone, Gilgil OCPD Emmanuel Opuru said that the driver of the truck that was heading to Nakuru was to blame for the early morning accident.
He said that the ill-fated truck first hit the matatu killing all the passengers before ramming into five other vehicles including a trailer along the highway.
“All the eleven passengers in the matatu that include six women and five men died on the spot while the driver of the truck escaped soon after the accident,” he said.
The senior police officer added that passengers from other vehicles were not injured adding that they had launched a manhunt for the fleeing driver.
“The information we are getting is that the truck started swaying from one side of the road to the other before hitting the matatu and the other vehicles,” he said.
A manhunt for the driver has been launched. The Commissioner appealed to area residents to provide police with information that will lead to his arrest for prosecution.
Bodies of victims have been transported to Gilgil sub-county mortuary while the mangled vehicles towed to Gilgil police station.
In the last two years over 30 people have died on the steep section of the road with mechanical failures blamed for the accidents.
In 2017, a trailer lost control and rammed into a bus killing 20 people before another bus hit a lorry last year near the same area killing 18 people. — NNN-KBC