Revealed: Last moments of Kimulwon Chesaina, the man killed in Langata Road crash

Kimulwon Chesaina died aged 48 on Monday, July 11, 2022. [Mate Tongola]

Kimulwon Chesaina trusted the capabilities of his car, a Mercedes-Benz W124.

Often, he’d tell his friends how safe, reliable and aggressive the German-made vehicle was.

The model of the Mercedes-Benz was in production between 1984 and 1997. During that period, the W124 was the machine that nearly every motorist wished to own.

Kimulwon Chesaina’s Mercedes-Benz. [Mate Tongola, Standard]

Chesaina, an auditor at the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), died on Monday, July 11 on Langata Road after losing control of the vehicle that he so much cherished.

The 48-year-old man was heading towards Nairobi’s central business district from Langata when he crashed near Carnivore Grounds diversion, dying on the spot.

Langata Sub-County Police Commander Benjamin Mwathi told The Standard that Chesaina was not strapped onto his seat by a safety belt during the crash.

Police said Chesaina was not strapped onto the driver’s seat during the accident. [Mate Tongola, Standard]

So ugly was the 9pm accident, that his vehicle hurtled onto the oncoming lane and overturned.

Joseph Kalabata, one of the deceased’s closest friends, told The Standard that he and Chesaina had spent Monday evening having drinks at Home Pub bar in Otiende, Langata Sub-County.

Chesaina thereafter asked to leave a few minutes to 9pm, said Kalabata.

“He (Chesaina) said he had an early morning assignment at work the following day (Tuesday, July 12),” said Kalabata.

“As a result, he left for home. He lived at Freedom Heights Apartments in Langata.”

Kalabata said he remained behind taking his drink.

“A few minutes to 10pm, I saw on social media pages that Chesaina had reportedly died in a road accident.”

The deceased’s friend said he tried reaching him on phone, but his calls went unanswered.

“Later, one of our mutual friends called and confirmed that Chesaina died in the crash. That news broke my heart. Chesaina and I were friends for many years. If he wasn’t speaking about his German cars, a Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen Golf, he was heartily reminiscing on his time at the Alliance High School,” Kalabata said.

Eyewitnesses said the crash that killed Chesaina “happened in a split second”.

The mangled wreckage of Chesaina’s Mercedes was towed to Langata Police Station. [Mate Tongola, Standard]

“The accident was similar to what we see in movies. One minute, the victim was driving towards Nairobi CBD, the next minute, his vehicle was careening towards the oncoming lane, before hitting a ditch and overturning in the oncoming lane. The bang and brake screeches were very loud,” said Moses Namache, a security guard manning a building near the accident scene.

“The victim had almost hit a police vehicle that had been parked on the roadside,” added Namache.

Langata Sub-County police boss Benjamin Mwathi said Chesaina died on the spot.

According to the deceased’s friend, Joseph Kalabata, Chesaina was an active member of social groups where owners of German-made cars (Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi and BMW) interacted often.

A social media user, Odindo Ayieko, was among the first people online to remember encountering Chesaina.

Ayieko said on Facebook that in mid-June, Chesaina rammed his vehicle on Langata Road, when he (Ayieko) was driving towards Nairobi West.

“Three weeks ago, as I was driving down from Langata towards Nairobi West, I got involved in a road accident. The crash involved my car and a Mercedes-Benz, whose driver made a U-turn at the Uhuru Gardens turning area without checking the oncoming traffic. The driver accepted liability [for the accident], and has been repairing my car,” Ayieko said on Facebook.

“This morning (Tuesday, July 12), I call him to get an update on the repair work because he’d promised to have it done by the end of the week, but it was a police officer who picked my call. The cop told me that the guy (Chesaina) had been involved in a road accident on Monday night at the same spot, but he did not survive this time around.”

Speaking to The Standard, Ayieko said he was saddened by Chesaina’s death.

“In the short time that I interacted with him, he came across as a nice person,” said Ayieko.