Two people have died, and several others injured in an accident involving a 14-seater Public Service Vehicle (matatu) in Embu town.
According to witnesses, the matatu lost control before hitting the two pedestrians close to Embu Level 5 Hospital.
“I was in the hospital about to cross the road when I saw the matatu approaching, it hit the first pedestrian and second one a few minutes later,” said one witness.
Another female witness who was riding on a motorbike said that the matatu almost hit them just besides the road.
“The matatu almost ran over another vehicle which was offloading passengers beside the road, but we shouted, and the driver moved out of the way,” she said.
Further, she asked the bodaboda to follow the matatu and alert pedestrians to get off the road to avoid being hit.
“We were shouting to tell people that the vehicle had lost brakes, and they should move away from the road.
“When we arrived at the hospital, we learnt that the matatu had hit two people, one of them was crossing the road,” said the witness.
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Resident’s Plea to Government
One of the witnesses noted that in recent days, reports of public service vehicles losing control in the area had increased.
They asked the relevant government agencies to ensure that the vehicles are serviced and road worthy before being allowed to operate. The 14-seater matatu belonged to Neno matatu Sacco.
“We want the government to conduct inspections of all these public service vehicles to ensure they have breaks. Those people who died did not commit any crime. They were only going about their business,” he stated.
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Recent Matatu Accident
Earlier on September 7, at least 12 people were reported dead, and several others injured following a matatu accident in Taita Taveta.
Confirming the incident, Voi Sub County Police Commander Bernastain Shali stated that a 14-seater public service vehicle (PSV) headed to Mombasa from Nairobi collided head on with a truck.
According to one of the survivors, the driver of the PSV was overtaking before colliding with the trailer belonging to Albirum Transporters.
The survivor, who was in the truck, added that they spotted the PSV from a distance and asked the driver to reduce the speed of the lorry to avoid collision.
Moreover, the officers called on drivers to maintain responsibility on the roads while passengers advised to speak out in cases of over speeding to prevent such incidents.
