Nyeri — Seven people died on Thursday night in a head-on collision that involved a saloon car and a matatu at Solio area along the Nyeri-Nyahururu Highway.
The incident also left more than ten others with multiple injuries, requiring hospitalization at Mary Immaculate, Nyeri County Referral Hospital, and Kenyatta Othaya Annex.
According to Nyeri County Police Boss Benjamin Rotich, the fatal accident resulted in the immediate loss of four children’s lives. The matatu was en route from Nyahururu to Nyeri at the time of the collision, while the saloon car was transporting relatives from Nyeri to Nyahururu.
The accident led to a significant traffic jam, prompting local journalists returning from a burial ceremony to suspend their reporting duties temporarily and assist in the rescue efforts. The journalists were the first responders on the scene, breaking open doors to free those trapped and transporting them to nearby hospitals in their own vehicles.
In a remarkable show of solidarity, Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga, who had also attended the same burial, actively participated in rescuing the injured while promptly summoning ambulances from major hospitals.
On average, 3500 people are killed in road accidents in Kenya annually in what is mainly blamed on dangerous driving, according to police.
