Six learners have been killed following a grisly road accident in Wiitu shopping center, Kitui County.
The six school going children were killed in the hit-and-run accident that happened on Friday, September 13, 2024, morning at the Wiitu shopping center on the Kitui – Kibwezi road.
Ikitha Deputy County Commissioner Vincent Loctary Lomachary while confirming the Friday morning incident said the victims include three primary school children and three from secondary school.
In addition, the DCC said that the learners were knocked dead by a speeding Probox model vehicle while they were crossing the road at the Centre.
Following the accident, the vehicle’s driver fled the scene.
Driver behind Kitui road accident arrested
Police however confirmed that the driver was later arrested after surrendering himself to Mutomo Police Station, and the vehicle impounded.
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The fatal accident is among road crashes which have been reported within the past 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 had died on Kenyan roads since the beginning of the year.
The number has since risen following recent road crashes within the past one month that have left a trail of fatalities.
Earlier this week, one person was confirmed dead after an accident involving a truck ferrying LPG and several matatus in Nakuru County.
The lorry lost control and collided with three vehicles at the Mai Mahiu escarpment.
Witnesses at the scene detailed that a matatu belonging to Galaxy Shuttle rolled down a cliff, landing upside down. Another van also rolled down the cliff.
At the same time, a tour van was also hit, and the back of its window was completely shattered.
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First responders and well-wishers rushed to the scene to rescue the trapped survivor.
Fatalities recorded after road accidents in the last one month
Also, another tragic accident that happened on Saturday, August 31, 2024, claimed the lives of twelve people.
The twelve were killed in a collision involving a 14-seater matatu and another vehicle at Nithi Bridge along the Meru-Embu Highway.
Tharaka Nithi County Police Commander Zacchaeus Ng’eno confirmed the accident, noting that two others were injured.
Ng’eno stated that the matatu driver, unfamiliar with the highway, was driving in the wrong lane when the accident occurred.
“We have confirmed the recovery of 12 bodies from the scene and two others injured. The collision involved two vehicles: one heading towards Nairobi and the other towards Meru,” Ng’eno said.
This was one of three accidents reported on August 31. Another accident occurred at the same blackspot on Nithi Bridge, and a third happened in Kisumu County on Saturday, August 31, 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.
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