BY KENYA NEWS AGENCY
Two people were confirmed dead while 17 others are recuperating in hospital after the vehicles they were travelling in were involved in an accident along the Nyeri-Nyahururu highway at Mweiga, Tuesday evening.
The accident that occurred near the Aberdare Country Club involved a 14-seater 4NTE PSV matatu and a truck that was transporting manure.
The matatu was travelling to Nyahururu from Nyeri while the truck was travelling in the opposite direction.
Those injured were rushed to the Mary Immaculate and Nyeri County Teaching and Referral Hospitals.
Among the injured are eight males, eight females, and a baby.
Those who perished include the driver of the truck and one of the passengers who was on board the PSV matatu, according to Central Region Traffic Enforcement Officer, Elizabeth Ngigi.
“At around 1700 hours I received a report from Mweiga (Traffic Police) Base that a serious accident had occurred at the Mweiga-Chaka junction, and we visited the scene and confirmed an accident had occurred,” Ngigi said.
“The 14 passengers who were in the matatu belonging to 4NTE matatu were seriously injured and rushed to Nyeri hospital in serious condition. The accident involved a matatu and a truck that was carrying manure.”
Sources near the scene of the accident said the truck driver was attempting to overtake another vehicle when he rammed into the oncoming matatu.
Police are currently investigating the cause of the accident, which occurred less than a kilometre from Solio where seven people perished after the matatu they were travelling rammed into a private car on December 29, 2023, 14 people sustained serious injuries during the incident.
Road carnage said at least 3,000 people every year. In 2024, 3,369 people have lost their lives through road accidents in the country since January according to a report released by the National Police Service on September 17, 2024.
Out of the fatalities, 1,281 pedestrians, 825 motorcyclists, 654 passengers, and 281 were drivers.
The number showed a slight increase compared to 2023 when 3,151 perished in road accidents during a similar period.