Four people have died and fifteen others were seriously injured in a multiple accident involving five vehicles Kekopey area along the Gilgil – Nakuru highway on Wednesday afternoon.
Secondary school students who were returning home for the half-term included one of the 15 injured and one of the 15 fatalities.
According to Gilgil Sub-County Police Commander Francis Tumbo, who confirmed the accident, it happened when a Coca-Cola Company caravan travelling from Naivasha lost control, veered off its lane, and collided head-on with an approaching Toyota Matatu on a steeply ascending road close to Gilgil's renowned Nyama Choma trading centre.
Further, Tumbo revealed that the matatu in turn hit another matatu behind it and being a sharp climbing lane, the second matatu rolled and hit a Toyota Noah motor – vehicle which in turn hit a Toyota Hilux double cabin leading to the multiple accident which involved the five vehicles at 4:00 pm on Wednesday.
Two persons, including a secondary school student, died at the scene of the various accidents, and two more perished while receiving medical care at a private hospital in Gilgil town. The two aforementioned matatus carried 15 injured people in addition to the deceased, two males, two girls, and the deceased.
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The bodies of the deceased persons have been moved to the Gilgil Sub County Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem and further investigations into the accident.
At Gilgil Sub County Hospital, the injured with fractured limbs and soft tissue injuries are battling for their lives. The majority are stated to be in stable but critical condition.
A total of 4,432 road users died in incidents between January 1 and December 13, according to the National Transport and Safety Authority's (NTSA) most recent numbers, a 3.77 per cent rise. From 4, 271 deaths in 2021 to 4,432, there were 161 more.
9,315 persons were critically injured over that time, compared to 6,691 who were only mildly hurt. The biggest number of fatalities occurred in the months of January and July, with 433 and 487, respectively.
