New details have emerged on the tragic accident in Makueni that left 10 people dead and 7 others in hospital.
The accident happened after the driver of a 14-seater matatu that was ferrying passengers from Kikima town to Machakos lost control of the vehicle which rolled several times and landed into a ditch at Kwa Mbisu area in Mbooni West along Kikima Kali road on Saturday evening.
It has since emerged that the vehicle in question, belonging to Makos SACCO was overloaded, way beyong its capacity with eye witnesses accounts and going by the number of victims and casualties confirming the same.
Eye witnesses and police sources confirmed pulling out at least 17 casualties and survivors from the mangled wreckage of the vehicle involved in the 6pm accident.
Witnesses at the scene questioned how the 14-seater matatu ended up carrying at least 17 people and if the vehicle with its passengers passed through any police roadblocks.
READ: 5 dead, 10 rushed to hospital in tragic Kericho-Nakuru highway accident
They opined as is typical with most Kenyan roads, traffic police officers mount roadblocks to monitor compliance with road safety and traffic rules but whether they actually do this can only be confirmed by the officers themselves.
“So far a total of 7 people with varied injuries have been rushed to Mbooni Hospital for treatment while 10 people lost their lives. Mbooni security team and paramedics are on the scene” Mbooni Deputy County Commissioner Stanslaus Apwoka confirmed.
“We have sent extra blood to Mbooni hospital. Three Ambulances are on standby for transfer” Makueni County Health Officer Stephen Ndolo confirmed.
The injured were rushed to Mbooni Hospital for treatment with bodies of the casualties moved to nearby morgues.
Worrying trend as number of casualties rise
The accident adds to a growing tally of lives lost in fatal crashes across the country as authorities continue to talk tough with little success in taming road carnage in the country.
Earlier this week on Thursday morning, a 66-seater bus carrying passengers crashed along the Londiani-Muhoroni road in Kericho.
The accident occurred at approximately 3:00 a.m. according to Kericho Traffic Police Commander Paul Kipkeu.
He revealed that the bus belonged to Promise Company and was en route from Nairobi to Busia when the accident transpired.
The driver, identified as George Otieno, swerved and veered of the road when a motor vehicle in front of the bus abruptly came to a halt.
CS Murkomen's meeting with stakeholders
A recent meeting convened between the Ministry of Transport and stake holders flagged corruption as a contributing factor.
The meeting which was chaired by Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen saw concerns of runway corruption and harassment by police surface, with players in the industry noting that it has resulted in poor adherence of safety rules and proliferation of substandard body parts.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Federation of Public Transport Sector, Kenya Transporters Association, Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority and Kenya Private Sector Alliance.