Nine people have been confirmed dead following a road accident involving a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) matatu full of passengers at Koguta along the Londiani – Muhoroni road.
Kericho County Commander Geoffrey Mayek confirmed that the nine people were killed in the road accident involving a matatu operating under Kamtco Sacco and a truck which was ferrying maize flour.
The area Assistant Chief Gregory Kemei said that the accident happened when the driver of the truck which was heading towards Londiani direction lost control after hitting a pothole.
Kemei added that this led to the truck veering off the lane and ramming into the oncoming matatu heading towards Kisumu direction which was ferrying more than ten passengers.
Photos seen by The Kenya Times showed both vehicles extensively damaged indicating the impact of the crash, while others showed first responders at the scene.
More than half of the matatu was damaged indicating that the chances of survival could have been limited.
Accident involving matatu in Londiani
Among the dead is the driver of the matatu who died on the spot, while a police report indicate that the other driver fled the accident scene.
Bodies have been moved to St Vincent Mission hospital mortuary in Muhoroni awaiting identification while the injured are nursing injuries at Muhoroni sub-county hospital.
By the time of publishing, it was not clear how many occupants were in the matatu during the incident.
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The fatal accident is among road crashes which have been reported within the last one month that have left behind casualties and fatalities.
As of August 27, 2024, data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) revealed that more than 3,000 people have died on Kenyan roads since the beginning of the year.
NTSA Data on Road Crashes in 2024
According to the latest data from NTSA, road accidents across the country have claimed at least 3,056 lives between January 1 and August 27, 2024, an increase of 146 deaths compared to the 2,910 recorded in the same period in 2023.
“Since the year started 7,114 Kenyans have been involved in road accidents, marking an increase of 703 compared to last year, 3674 were seriously injured and 585 suffered from minor injuries,” NTSA said.
Also Read: Accident Alert: Casualties Reported After Accident Involving Matatu and Personal Car
Pedestrians have recorded the highest number of deaths in road accidents since the start of the year, according to the Authority.
The NTSA data shows pedestrians continue to bear the brunt of road slaughter with a 15 percent increase to 1,177 compared to 1,044 who lost their lives by the same date last year.
Similarly, the number of passengers killed increased by 15 per cent, with at least 595 passengers losing their lives in road crashes, compared to 519 in 2023.
The data, however, showed a slight decrease in deaths involving motorcyclists which stood at 710 compared to 756 recorded same period in 2023.
262 drivers also lost their lives, a decrease of 260 compared to the same period last year. On the other hand, Pillion passengers recorded 259 deaths compared to 269 witnessed last year, while the number of pedal cyclists also decreased to 53 compared to 60 recorded last year.
The latest data comes as the country witnesses a resurgence in fatal and serious injury road accidents across the country.
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