Maraga in brush with death as road accidents claim 17 lives

Chief Justice David Maraga at War Memorial Hospital in Nakuru, after he was involved in a road accident at Ngata Bridge on Nakuru-Eldoret Highway. (Kipsang Joseph, Standard)

Seventeen people died while several others sustained injuries in road accidents, three days to Christmas.

Two of the injured were Chief Justice David Maraga and his wife and his wife Yucabeth Nyaboke who were involved in a separate accident.

A speeding petrol tanker rammed a matatu killing 11 people at Kaburengu junction on Webuye – Eldoret road on Friday evening.

Western Region Traffic Commandant Saitera Mwita suspects the tanker’s driver lost control of the vehicle after the breaks failed. The police said the driver of the Malaba-bound tanker, his co-driver and all the matatu passengers died.

Bungoma County Police Commander Francis Sang noted that bodies of four men and seven women were collected from the scene of the accident.

“No one survived in the matatu and the petrol tanker, we are waiting for families whose relatives were aboard the ill-fated vehicles to come and identify the bodies before their names can be made public,” he said.

But witnesses claimed that some survivors were rushed to hospital. Peter Muchocho, a resident, said a child was rushed to Webuye sub-county hospital.

In Isiolo, OCPD Bakuli Mohamed said six people died in an accident involving a matatu headed to Isiolo town from Marsabit and a truck headed to Archers’ Post yesterday morning.

Mohamed noted that four people died on the spot while two succumbed to injuries while being rushed to Isiolo Referral Hospital where five survivors are undergoing treatment.All the victims were passengers in the matatu.

“From the initial investigation, the matatu veered off its lane and hit the truck. The traffic police will establish the cause of the crash,” the officer said.

In the Nakuru mishap, Justice Maraga’s official vehicle was hit by another one that was joining the Nakuru-Eldoret Highway at Ng’ata Bridge. “The Toyota DX was being driven by one Jonathan Kigen who joined the highway from the feeder road without giving way,” read the police report.

The CJ and his wife were treated at War Memorial hospital in Nakuru before being airlifted to Nairobi for further medical checkup.

Rift Valley Regional Coordinator Mongo Chimwaga said said Maraga and his wife were on their way to church when the accident occurred at around 10am. The CJ sustained injuries on the forehead while his wife on the neck.

Kigen was admitted to Valley Hospital with a head injury. Maraga said there was no cause for alarm as they had been attended to and were in a stable condition.

“There is no cause for alarm, we have been attended to. The accident was just a normal one as we were on our way to church.” [John Shilitsa, Ali Abdi and Julius Chepkwony]