George Munene
3 May 2008
Nairobi — Five people died and nine others were seriously injured when a matatu overturned along the Embu-Makutano road in Kirinyaga District.
Among the dead was a young girl. It could not be immediately established whether she was accompanied or not.
The vehicle with 14 passengers, was travelling to Nairobi from Embu when the accident occurred.
Four passengers died on the spot while a fifth one was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Those who died had not yet been identified.
The survivors suffered head, hand and leg injuries and were admitted at Embu Provincial General Hospital for treatment.
Veered off
Witnesses said they saw the vehicle swerve as it sped past Nyangati village of Mwea division.
The left rear tyre burst as the vehicle was going down- hill near Kimbimbi trading centre.
It veered off the usually busy highway, rolled several times and landed in a ditch.
Wang'uru Police Station boss Chief Inspector Gabriel Lesikon said the vehicle rolled after a tyre puncture. The victims were trapped in the mangled vehicle.
Police and villagers helped the injured out of the vehicle. Mr Lesikon said investigations had been launched to establish whether the matatu was speeding at the time of the accident. He appealed to drivers to be cautious on the roads and to drive at moderate speeds.
Meanwhile, scores of people were injured and property worth millions of shillings destroyed when residents of Shauri Yako slums in Embu engaged riot police in running battles for over six hours.
No-go zone
The residents were ironically protesting against a proposal by the municipal council to relocate them to decent houses.
They barricaded all roads leading to the town, making the area a no-go zone.
Some of the residents pelted buildings with stones, causing extensive damage.
One of the buildings belonged to the town mayor councillor Peter Murithi, who recently unveiled a grand plan to eradicate slums in the town. The mayor was quoted in the press as having promised to work with donors to provide decent housing for thousands of slum dwellers in the area.
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