Four people died on the spot and one more injured on Tuesday, December 26 morning in an accident involving a lorry ferrying sand.
The lorry veered off the road at Bulemia area in Budalangi, Busia County.
According to police report, the driver was traveling at a high speed when he lost control of the vehicle, resulting in a tragic collision with five pedestrians.
Upon collision, the four individuals died on the spot as only one survived with serious injuries and was rushed Port Victoria sub county hospital.
Notably, the lorry was headed to Mundere Port Victoria Road when the accident occurred.
However, the police responded quickly, rushing to the collision scene and effectively ensuring the clearance of the debris in the area.
As a result, the police speedy reaction prevented the occurrence of a significant traffic jam.
Concurrently, police officers have started an investigation into the incident to ascertain the circumstances leading to the tragic event.
Details on the Crash
Furthermore, the driver of the lorry allegedly escaped the scene and the police have launched a manhunt for him.
Two of the unfortunate victims were females named Leah Elizah Madiang’i (22) and Sharon Akello Ondiang’a (21).
Likewise, the other two males who perished in the accident are yet to be positively identified.
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However, the one individual who survived the ordeal has been identified as Esther Madiangi.
Due to the seriousness of her injuries, she was transferred from Port Victoria hospital to Busia General Hospital for specialized treatment.
Police officers visited and processed the scene before transferring the bodies to Port Victoria mortuary awaiting postmortem.
Also, the lorry, brand model Isuzu Tipper, was towed and detained at Port Victoria police station awaiting inspection.
Government Addresses Accident Rates During Festive Season
Road and Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen on Monday, December 18, launched tools to help curb accidents during the festive season.
CS Murkomen launched the tools under the Usalama Barabarani Festive Season Campaign.
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Further, he noted that the Kenya Highway Code and Learner Drivers’ Handbook would be freely distributed to promote responsible road use across the country.
Additionally, he noted that the number of road accident fatalities has gone down from 4,352 to 3,999.
“Over the last year, our collective effort has reduced road traffic fatalities. From January 1 to December 7, 2023, we witnessed a commendable 8.11 per cent decrease in lives lost due to road traffic injuries compared with the same period last year,” he noted during the launch.
However, he pointed out that the reduction in deaths coincided with an increase in the number of seriously injured individuals.
