Seven killed in accident as roads death toll rises

A wreckage of a car being towed from an accident scene. [File, Standard]

The driver of a trailer in the accident that claimed the lives of seven people in Narok yesterday lost control of the vehicle after a tyre burst, it has emerged. 

The accident involving a matatu and trailer occurred near Narok town. The 11-seater matatu heading towards Nairobi from Kisii town collided with the truck that was heading towards Bomet.

Narok Central OCPD Fredrick Kinaibei said five people, including the driver of the matatu, died on the spot. Two others succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at Narok County Hospital.

Narok County Hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr. Odieki Chrysostom, said five other people, among them the driver of the lorry, sustained head and limb injuries.

Recent statistics from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) reveal that 1,912 people have died in road accidents since January 1 this year.

The latest figure represents a nine per cent increase from 1,754 last year.

Of the 1,912, pedestrians accounted for the highest number of fatalities at 682, up from 573 during the same period last year.

Motorcyclists followed closely with 530 deaths up from 495 last year, passengers at 308 up from 290, pillion passengers at 185 and pedal cyclists at 28.

The figures were released at Railway Training Institute in South B, Nairobi, where a total of 200 boda boda riders graduated with certificates after a two-day training on first aid and emergency response.

The training was conducted by St John’s Ambulance and Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works, State Department of Transport through NTSA.

Each trainee was awarded with a certificate, a first aid kit and a reflector jacket.

Speaking after handing over the certificates, St John’s Ambulance Kenya Chief Executive Officer Harun Gikera said the training is a response to a directive that President Uhuru Kenyatta gave in March.

The trained riders, he said, will be key in saving lives because they will now act as first responders in case of an accident. Around 200,000 boda boda riders across the country will receive the training to equip them with the crucial skills.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Engineer Joseph Njoroge, said the training has started with 6,000 riders in Nairobi as a pilot project and would later proceed to KenGen Trauma Centre in Nakuru and Makindu Trauma Centre in Machakos.

‘’This will help the Government get appropriate feedback on the effectiveness and adequacy of the scope of the training as we prepare to roll out the entire programme across the country,” said Eng. Njoroge through David Chege, the Administration secretary at the transport ministry.