Simon Siele
14 October 2008
Nairobi — The death toll of a road accident that took place on the Nakuru-Nyahururu highway has risen to 17, police said on Tuesday.
The Nakuru police boss Daniel Kimeu said 12 people on the matatu that was involved in a head-on collision with a lorry on Monday died on the spot. The three who were in the lorry also died.
Of the five passengers who survived, two died on the way to Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital, while three were admitted with serious injuries.
The survivors include the matatu driver, Mr Lawrence Maina, who is also the owner of the vehicle.
Lost control
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Maina said that he was heading towards Nakuru from Subukia when he lost control of the vehicle and collided with the lorry near Berea Bible College.
The driver, who sustained head, right arm and lower abdomen injuries, is now out of danger. The other two are still in the intensive care unit.
Mr Kimeu said one of the people who died was identified as the headmaster of Mihang'o primary school. Three other teachers died in the accident.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers, Nakuru branch, called on the Government to act swiftly and stop carnage on the roads by enforcing relevant traffic laws.
"We would not have lost such a big number of people if traffic rules that were instituted during the (tenure) of then Transport minister John Michuki were being followed.
That is why there is a public outcry that he should be reinstated in the impending Cabinet reshuffle," said the branch treasurer Anthony Njoroge.
Mr Njoroge said traffic rules were being flouted by most of the public service vehicles, with the drivers tampering with speed governors.
A boy who witnessed the accident said he heard screeching brakes of the matatu before a loud bang. He then saw the lorry driver emerge from the wreckage with blood oozing from his head.
Citizens used axes to break the mangled vehicles as they tried to rescue the passengers.
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