(L) Maureen Wambui and her daughter, Olivia Muthoni, both perished in the fatal accident along the Nyeri–Nyahururu highway. [File Courtesy]
Grief deepened in Nyeri as the death toll from a road accident on the Nyeri–Nyahururu highway rose to 16, even as families continued to visit the Nyeri County Referral Hospital mortuary to identify bodies of their loved ones.
Central Region Traffic Enforcement Officer Elizabeth Vivi confirmed that one more person succumbed to injuries overnight, pushing the fatalities from 15 to 16. She said that by the time of the update, 10 bodies had been positively identified, while six had not.
“We are urging members of the public who may have lost relatives to come forward and assist in the identification process so that all the bodies lying at the facility can be accounted for,” she said, adding that investigations into the cause of the accident were ongoing.
The accident, which occurred at Matangi-ini in the Mweiga area, involved a 14-seater matatu that was carrying 17 passengers, among them two minors and the driver.
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“We established that the vehicle involved was a 14-seater matatu that was carrying 14 passengers as per its legal capacity. However, there were also two juveniles on board, in addition to the driver, bringing the total number in the vehicle to 17. Under the law, juveniles are not counted as full passengers in terms of seating capacity, and the driver is also not considered part of the passenger count,” she said.
Sebastian Ndolo Kisinga, a Kenya Forest Service officer among those who lost their lives in the tragic Nyeri–Nyahururu highway crash. [File Courtesy]
Outside the mortuary, the atmosphere was sombre as relatives of victims broke down while identifying bodies. Among them was Mwangi Elijah, who lost his relative, Nancy Gathoni, in the accident.
Elijah said the family had identified Nancy’s body, while another relative, Fidelis Murugi, survived and is recuperating in the hospital.
“We spoke to them at around 4 pm and they said they were on their way home. They never arrived,” he said.
Elijah said the two women, who were college students, were cousins.
Wreckage of the matatu involved in the fatal road accident along the Nyeri–Nyahururu highway, which has so far claimed 16 lives. [Amos Kiarie, Standard]
“The accident happened barely 500 metres from home. It is very painful because they were almost here. We were expecting them, but instead we are now identifying bodies,” he said.
He described Gathoni as a hardworking student whose death had left a huge gap in the family.
“Fidelis has a broken hand and injuries on the face. Doctors are taking good care of her. They were coming home from school and were so close when this happened,” he said.
Similar stories echoed across the hospital grounds, with families clinging to hope for survivors while mourning those lost.
Some arrived expecting to find their relatives among the injured, only to be confronted with the painful reality inside the mortuary.
Rose Kisinga, who had travelled from Nairobi to identify her brother, Sebastian Ndolo Kisinga, a Kenya Forest Service officer, said the family had expected to find him among the injured at the emergency ward, only to be confronted with the devastating news of his death.
“We came from Nairobi expecting to find him in the emergency ward, but when we arrived, they called a lady who had his phone—his colleague, and she confirmed that he was dead,” Rose said.
She added that her brother had travelled to Nyeri for medical treatment, as he was not feeling well.
“He had gone for medication; we did not expect him to leave us this way. It is very painful and shocking for the family,” she said.
Police said they are pursuing all leads to establish the cause of the crash and have vowed to take action against anyone found culpable.