By Standard Reporter

The Bett family was returning to Nairobi from a trip to their home in Sosiani Village, where they had spent the Easter holiday.

Their driver, Raymond Mutai, kept his eyes on the smooth Eldoret road. Suddenly, a herd of buffalo shot across the road. There was a screeching of tyres as the driver applied emergency brakes, then cries of distress and the crashing of metal.

In the madness that followed, villagers armed with pangas and axes left their homes in a hurry, and, as it turned out, not to help the helpless and injured family, but to get a share of the free buffalo meat lying in a heap on the road.

Good Samaritans stopped by after what the family head, Mr James Kiprop Bett, chairman of EMO Foundation (a Kalenjin peace and development advocacy group) later said was "a long time".

They were taken to the St Marys’ Hospital in Gilgil – a few metres from the accident scene. Hours later, an ambulance arrived from Nairobi and took them to the Aga Khan Hospital.

Condition deteriorated

Bett who was seated in front with Robert, his 13-year-old son, did not at first feel any pain. Worried for his family, he called his elder brother, Mr Judah Bett, and later spoke to his cousin, Mr Caleb Kositany.

Both reported he sounded well. They immediately drove to the roadside hospital in darkness, over an hour’s drive from Nairobi. That was on Monday at around 9pm.

Victoria, Bett’s wife, was admitted for three days with head and neck injuries. Robert, who had bruises on both legs, was also admitted. The other children in the van — Daisy, Abigael, Deborah, Samuel, Joshua and Amani — were not injured.

Bett was wheeled to the theatre for surgery on his legs. All seemed well, despite a broken rib and painful chest, until late Wednesday when his condition deteriorated.

On Saturday, James succumbed to his injuries, shortly after 11am.

Bett, an astute businessman with an MBA, peacemaker and University of Nairobi-trained biochemist, died just a day after Sports Minister Hellen Sambili gazetted his appointment as a Director of Sports Stadia Management Board for a three-year period.

He will be buried on Saturday at his Sosiani Scheme home.