He died in handcuffs, chained to a vehicle

By Alex Kiprotich

On Saturday, one man died a most painful death, unable to escape because he was handcuffed.

Witnesses and survivors of the Sachang’wan tanker tragedy told of horror ordeal of a man who was consumed by fire, screaming and calling for help, inside a vehicle in which he was handcuffed.

The man identified as Mr Masese Nyakirigi, according to Mr Rashid Baraka who witnessed the tragedy, had been cuffed just before the explosion after he engaged police officers in an argument. Masese, who was single, lived alone at Kibunja village. He made a living making and selling clay tiles in Sachang’wan.

Masese, 21, Baraka said was arrested after he forced his way and tried to scoop petrol from a trench into which it was flowing, even after police told him to keep off.

Defied police

"He was arrested after he defied police and dared them to arrest him," said Baraka who is recovering from burns at Molo District Hospital.

He said when the fire erupted, Masese who was at the back seat of a vehicle being used by the officers, struggled to come out in vain.

"He died screaming," he said.

The vehicle, which had four 20-litre jerricans in the boot, drawn earlier from the trench, was reduced to a shell by the fire. It was parked only 20 metres from the tanker.

Mr Stephen Mwangi who had earlier spoken to Masese after the arrest said it was a tragic death for the man who was well known at Sachang’wan.

Tragically, the policemen who chained him also died in the fire.

"There is nothing more painful than being in a helpless position when death strikes," he said.

Mwangi, a motorcyclist, said he only met Masese at the scene when he approached him with the intention of buying petrol from him.

"I approached him so that he could sell it to me as I did not want to go near (the truck)," he said.

"However, when Masese was arrested for defying police orders, and the petrol he had scooped was confiscated," Mwangi said.