Mourners die on the way to a funeral

Seven mourners died instantly and four others were injured when the matatu (public minivan) they were travelling in collided with a truck. The accident occurred on Friday night at lkoyo near Makindu on the Mombasa-Nairobi road.

The mourners were travelling from Yala in Kisumu for a funeral in Mombasa. The driver of the matatu, who was among the dead, was trying to overtake when he collided with the oncoming lorry.

The bodies of the seven were taken to Makindu District Hospital mortuary while the injured were admitted at the same hospital.

In another accident, three pupils died and 40 were seriously hurt when the driver of the bus they were travelling in lost control and it overturned on the Kiambu- Githiga road on Friday morning.

High speed

The pupils from Giant Academy in Githiga were travelling to Nairobi for the agricultural show. The driver and conductor were undergoing treatment. Eyewitnesses said the bus, carrying 66 pupils was travelling at high speed.

“The bus was travelling at a high speed and when the driver tried to negotiate a sharp corner, he lost control, veered off the road and rolled several times,” said Mr Daniel Njega.

In Narok South District, three people died when the motorcycle they were riding was hit by a lorry at Sogoo trading centre. The dead were the owner of the machine and his passenger, a mother and her baby.

Without licences

The three occupants of the lorry were unhurt. Area police boss Mr Charles Okweya said the taxi operator was speeding on an incline when the lorry emerged from an intersection. He said that most motorcycles were operating without licences and insurance. An eyewitness said the operator was not wearing a helmet and was crushed beyond recognition.

“We are rounding up all illegal motor cycles as accidents are on the rise. We cannot watch as people are killed needlessly because some operators have decided to flout traffic rules,” Mr Okweya said. Area residents called on the government to provide Sogoo Health Centre with an ambulance. “Had there been an ambulance, one of the people would have been saved,” said Mr Julius Ngetich.