Six dead as ‘drunk’ driver rams tuktuk in Nairobi
A man looks at the wreckage of one of the three vehicles that was involved in a road accident at Corner area, Kamakis, along the Eastern Bypass on October 30, 2022.
Six people lost their lives early yesterday in an accident involving three vehicles at Corner area near Kamakis Eastern Bypass, a few kilometres from the Thika Superhighway.
According to eyewitness accounts, a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado that was speeding rammed a tuktuk that was entering the highway from behind, which in turn hit a matatu parked by the roadside waiting to pick passengers. The driver of the tuktuk and five passengers, including one child died on the spot.
“I had just dropped a customer off in the area and I was on my way to pick another person when I heard a loud bang,” recounts Mr Kairu, a boda-boda operator who was among the first people at the scene.
“When I looked back I saw the tuktuk that I had left at the stage picking passengers, and a cloud of dust where the Prado had overturned and landed off the road.”
The driver of the Prado, who was allegedly drunk, escaped the incident with minor injuries, and is currently being held at the Ruiru Police Station.
He is expected to be charged with causing death by dangerous driving, according to a police report.
Police responding to the incident came to the rescue of the alleged drunk driver, who was being roughed up by a group of people at the scene. The police calmed the angry mob, asking them to let the law take its due cause and reassuring them that due process would be followed.
Tuktuk operators in the area say they are saddened and shaken by the incident in which they lost one of their own together with all his passengers.
“I am still in shock and disbelief. I cannot believe they are all gone,” said one of them. “Just a week ago, there was another accident a few metres from here where a trailer transporting flour overturned. Even the flour has not completely cleared up.”
The operators pleaded with drivers to be more vigilant and mindful of other road users to avoid such unfortunate loss of lives, especially in the area famous for its high number of entertainment joints.
They also called for installation of speed bumps on the newly expanded bypass.
