Tears flow at funeral of five kin killed in road crash

By MARGARET KANINI and ERASTUS MULWA

MACHAKOS COUNTY: A mass funeral service for five family members, who died alongside eight others in a tragic road accident in Machakos County 10 days ago, was held Monday in Maiuni village, Kangundo Sub-county.

Thousands of grief-stricken villagers, relatives and people from all walks of life congregated at Kangundo AIC Primary School where the service was held. The five were buried later in the afternoon.

Politicians who attended the mass included Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama, MPs Kyengo Maweu (Kangundo), Stephen Mule (Matungulu) and former Youth Affairs Assistant Minister Wavinya Ndeti.

BLACKLIST SACCOS

They urged the Government to blacklist saccos that were operating in disregard to the traffic regulations.

“We do not want to hear of future incidences of families and people perishing in likewise manner,” Mr Muthama told mourners.

Five other bodies of victims of the same accident were also dispatched for burial in different villages within Kangundo and Matungulu sub-counties.

A convoy of 10 hearses that carried the bodies left Machakos Funeral Home at around 9am and snaked through Koma Kill and Tala town before proceeding to Kangundo where business was brought to a near

Tears flowed freely during the public viewing of the remains of Peter Muasya, 78, his wife Beatrice Mueni, 76, and their three grandchildren – Mwende, Peter and Emmanuel aged nine, three and one-and-a-half years respectively.

In Kangundo town, which is only a stone-throw away from the late Muasya’s home, most businesses remained closed as most people turned up to pay their last respect to the couple and their three grandchildren.

And at one point, Ms Isabella Nthenya, the woman whose dowry payment mission turned tragic and lost her three children was overwhelmed by grief. She was rushed to Kangundo District Hospital after collapsing upon viewing the caskets bearing the remains of her three children.

But Isabella’s husband, Albert Muasya, remained stoic and stood by his only surviving child Musembi Muasya.

Equally bewildered were pupils of Kangundo AIC Primary School, who learnt and played with their departed colleagues at the same field, which now served as the venue for their funeral service.

The mass funeral service of the Muasyas rekindled memories of a similar incident that befell residents of Kawethei village in 2011 where 23 people perished in another tragic accident.

The victims of the Machakos accident were on a mission to pay dowry in Mbooni, Makueni County, when the grim reaper struck.

A 14-seater matatu they were travelling in nose-dived into a river from a 10-metre high bridge along Masii-Tawa road, killing 12 of them on the spot.

Machakos County Government contributed Sh1.3 million towards the burial of the 13 victims of the road accident.

Three of the victims were buried last week in their Ukambani homes, in a ceremony that was attended by Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua among other political leaders.

MPs Mule and Maweu said they would soon convene a meeting of all transporters in the region to explore the possibility of having a single PSV transport sacco that is to be run professionally.

“As area leaders, we will very soon announce a meeting for all PSV stakeholders to chart the way forward in establishing a sacco that is going to be run within the confines of law and respect to human dignity in order to avoid unnecessary deaths on the roads,” said Mr Mule.