Two police officers injured after lorry rams into their truck on Thika Road

Police officers examining the accident scene at Allsops on Thika Road, Nairobi. [Courtesy]

Two police officers were injured on Monday night, April 19 after a Nairobi-bound lorry rammed into their truck on Thika Road.

The cops, Corporal Geoffrey Sigolia and Police Constable Joseph Kiminda, sustained injuries of varying degree.

Kiminda’s skull and right hand were fractured, leaving him critically injured. Sigolia, on the other hand, suffered an injury in the left leg.

The law enforcement officers, who were implementing the dusk to dawn curfew order, were aboard a truck parked on the roadside at Allsops area, when their vehicle was ploughed into by a lorry headed towards Nairobi from Thika.

The incident occurred at 10:36pm, police said.

A screengrab of the police officers' truck after the 10pm accident. [Courtesy]

In a report filed at the Kasarani Police Station, the Nairobi-bound lorry was being driven by Elias Mwaniki. Two passengers, identified as Fancy and Martin, were also aboard the lorry.

It remains unclear whether Mwaniki’s vehicle had developed a mechanical problem, leading to the accident. Police say investigations are underway.

The cops injured in the accident were taken to Nairobi West Hospital, where they are receiving treatment.

Reports indicate Mwaniki, who was driving the accident-causing lorry, escaped the accident unharmed. The two passengers, however, suffered minor injuries, police said.

 “He (Mwaniki) is being held in custody at Kasarani Police Station, with authorities considering charging him with alleged reckless driving,” said a police source who spoke to The Standard on condition of anonymity.

The Monday night incident occurred barely a day after another police officer was injured while enforcing the curfew directive in Pangani, Nairobi.

The senior cop, Samir Yunus, who is the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) of Pangani post, was hit by a speeding motorcycle while manning a roadblock on Dr. Griffins Road at 8:30pm on Sunday.

Yunus sustained head injuries, and was taken to a Pangani hospital for emergency medical care.

The “offending” motorcyclist was arrested, and is being investigated for recklessness.

The accidents come on the back of police officers’ resolve to enforce the 8pm to 4am curfew in Nairobi, where authorities claim compliance is under 20 per cent.