Tears flow at burial of woman killed after two accidents

A woman who survived a motorcycle accident on Boxing Day only to be crashed to death by a matatu three days later was buried.

Maximilla Chemutai, 21, was laid to rest in an emotional send-off at her parents’ home at Kipkimba location in Chebarus, Nandi Hills.

Hundreds of mourners who turned up for the burial eulogised the young woman.

Emotional relatives narrated how she survived the accident on December 26, 2018, while on a boda boda which collided with a matatu along the Kapsabet-Shamakhokho road.

Just as she had begun to put the scary incident behind her, Chemutai was hit and killed by another matatu as she stood at Chebarus stage waiting to board a vehicle to Nandi Hills town.

Her parents Sammy and Margaret Lagat were yet to come to terms with the death of their daughter. They were too traumatised to speak.

“She escaped the Boxing Day accident with a simple fracture on her hand and other minor injuries. Our family was in disbelief when we were informed that Chemutai was a victim of another accident just three days later,” narrated Chemutai’s grandmother.

Geoffrey Kipkoech, Chemutai’s elder brother, narrated how he narrowly escaped being hit by the same vehicle that killed his sister.

“I had accompanied my sister to the stage. She intended to go to the Kapsabet court to defend the boda boda rider who rode the motorcycle that was involved in her first accident,” said Kipkoech during the burial.

Kipkoech revealed that on the fateful day, the matatu veered off the road and hit Chemutai.

“I escaped the crash by a whisker,” he said.

Chemutai was eulogised as a champion of youth empowerment initiatives in Kipkimba and also a devoted Catholic who dedicated her time and energies to youth programmes in the church.

“She was a champion for youth empowerment and will be remembered for her tireless efforts in different youth initiated activities,” said area MP Alfred Keter who attended the burial.

Last week, Nandi Police Commander Patrick Wambani confirmed that five people, including the matatu driver, perished in the road accident that killed Chemutai.

Two more died in an Eldoret hospital, bringing the death toll to seven.

Wambani said the driver lost control before ramming into pedestrians and a tree at the roadside.

Keter called for installation of rail guards along the killer road to Chebarus.

“It is unfortunate that this road that hosts the dangerous Chepsangor winding section does not have a single road sign or protective barriers,” said Keter.

Chemutai is survived by a three-year-old son Maxwel Kipchumba.