10 Dead, Several Injured After A Lorry Ran Over Them

10 people died on Monday and 14 others seriously injured after a lorry veered off the road and ran over them at Kaburengu, along the Eldoret-Webuye highway.

According to eyewitnesses, the lorry was moving at a high speed ferrying ballast towards Webuye when it lost control and rammed into men and women who were selling clothes and vegetables at the roadside.

The injured were rushed to the Webuye Subcounty Hospital in the neighboring Bungoma County. Doctors and nurses had a hard time attending to the injured with the majority of them requiring an urgent transfusion of blood.

The accident was confirmed by the Deputy Lugari Sub-county Police Commander Mr. James Ngetich who called on drivers to be careful and avoid the temptation of overspeeding while going downhill.

The lorry first brushed off a matatu, injuring the driver before veering off the road. Residents of the area held demonstrations and blamed the traffic police for allowing faulty vehicles on the Kenyan roads.

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The accidents are back

Monday’s accident was the worst since the advent of Covid-19 into the country. When Covid-19 came knocking, the government introduced various restrictions, including cessation of movements in and out of various counties, cutting down on accidents.

Most accidents in Kenya are caused by overspeeding vehicles, drunk drivers, motorcycles who do not observe traffic rules, and sometimes pedestrians who are often knocked down while crossing the roads.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Between 3000 and 13 000 Kenyans lose their lives in road traffic crashes every year.

The majority of these people are vulnerable road users – pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists. In addition, nearly one-third of deaths are among passengers – many of whom are killed in unsafe forms of public transportation across the country.

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