Public accuse police over 26 deaths
Traffic police officers were on Saturday on the spot over an accident that claimed 26 lives on the Kisumu-Kakamega road and which residents and leaders blamed on the location of a road block. (READ: 26 killed in Kisumu road accident)
Eyewitness Eric Omondi said he saw the driver of a lorry frantically try to keep control of his vehicle as he stopped at the Mamboleo junction police road block on Friday night. The lorry’s brakes appeared to have failed, he said.
“Had the police not given the lorry passage, it might have ended differently. The road block was at the end of a slope, and there was no way the driver could have brought the lorry to a stop at the road block,” Mr Omondi said.
After running over the road block spikes, the lorry veered to the right side of the road where it hit a Kakamega-bound matatu, killing all the occupants.
Personal belongings were strewn all over the scene of the grisly accident. The lorry claimed more casualties after hitting cyclists and pedestrians on the roadside.
It then hit a second matatu at a petrol station. By the time the vehicle came to a halt, 25 people were dead.
One more person died at the New Nyanza Provincial Hospital, where four others are still hospitalised with serious injuries.
Nyanza Provincial Hospital boss Juliana Otieno said survivors Gadi Miriengo, James Kinanda and Mule Randiri had regained consciousness and were responding well to treatment.
Shocked families and friends milled around the mortuary yesterday with many pointing fingers at the police.
“Our matatu had been detained at the check point by the police for some time when I suddenly heard a bang. I was forced out of the window by the impact, I went blank afterwards,” Mr Randiri recalled from his hospital bed.
Mr Kinanda, a survivor in the second matatu, said there was a tussle between the officers and the tout before the accident.
“The tout indicated to the police that the approaching lorry seemed to have lost control, but they ignored him. This is the result,” said Mr Kinanda, who sustained head and chest injuries.
Members of the public said officers manning the road block were responsible for the accident.
Provincial traffic boss Jonathan Katsole denied the allegations but said he would look into the possibility of relocating the check point.
Villagers at first prevented police from moving the bodies and they were tear-gassed.
In May 2006, Benga maestro Owino Misiani was among several people killed at the road block when a lorry rammed into a matatu in similar circumstances.
Three months later, 10 people died at almost the same spot.
On Saturday, Kisumu Town West Member of Parliament Olago Aluoch said he was shocked that the police had maintained the road block at a known black spot.
Medical Services minister Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o and Mr Aluoch called on police to move the check point to a safer place.
