Nine perish as bus and matatu collide

By CHARLES NGENO and KIPCHUMBA KEMEI

Nine pasengers died and three people were seriously injured yesterday in a road accident along the Narok-Mai Mahiu road.

The accident at Eore-Kuke area near Ntulele trading centre happened when a Nairobi-bound bus belonging to Transline Bus Services collided head-on with a matatu.

All the nine passengers in the matatu died on the spot.

The matatu belonging to Bomet Liners was travelling from Nairobi to Bomet.

Narok Police Chief Peterson Maelo said the driver of the matatu lost control after its rear tyre burst.

The matatu hit the guardrail, bounced back to the road and crashed into the oncoming bus.

Serious injuries

Maelo added that two passengers in the matatu and the driver of the bus sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the Narok District Hospital.

He said that passengers in the bus did not sustain any injuries.

The accident, which caused a huge traffic jam on both sides of the busy road, is the second the stretch has seen in as many months.

Last month, a bus that was travelling from Nairobi to Homa Bay veered off the road at Ntulele area and landed into a ravine, killing 44 passengers.

Speaking separately, Narok County Police Commander Grace Kaikai said investigations into the cause of the accident had been launched.

“We are investigating the cause of the accident. We don’t know what caused it,” said Kaikai.

It took police and the public hours to retrieve bodies trapped in the mangled matatu.

The body parts were put in body bags and taken to Narok North District Hospital mortuary.

Trapped bodies

 “The bodies were crushed beyond recognition. Police and the public had to use hacksaws among other devices to free the trapped bodies inside the matatu,” said the Narok police boss who oversaw the operation.

 Former Transport Licensing Board (TLB) Chairman Hassan Kamwaro, who arrived at the scene after the accident, said accidents on the country roads were on the rise and asked the government to re-introduce the so called “ Michuki Rules” to tame the runaway carnage.

“Ninety nine per cent of the accidents are caused by over speeding, defective vehicles and human error. The carnage will only stop if strict traffic rules are enforced to the letter,” he said, also blaming the rise on corruption in the Traffic Police Department.