Mother seeks justice for son killed in crash on January 1

The mother of one of the victims of Friday’s dawn collision on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway wants police to arrest people who sold alcohol to the teenage boys.

Ms Emily Wanjiru said her son, Bill Kamau, was only 17 and had not attained the legal drinking age.

She said Kamau told her he would be attending night prayers at a church on the eve of the new year with four friends: Brian Kariuki (17), Derick Mbugua (18), Kevin Kamaru (19) and Dominic Mwangi (17).

“I blame the person who sold alcohol to the boys,” Ms Wanjiru said when the Nation visited her home in Kiti Estate. Nakuru Town on Sunday.
She said Kamau declined to be driven to church in the family car, insisting that he was safe with his friends.

“He told me he was going for a ‘Kesha’ in a nearby church with three of his friends and I gave him Sh100,” she said.

The bodies of the five boys were taken to Nakuru County mortuary.

“I had big plans for Bill. My son would be sitting his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination this year. I had taken him to the best schools,” Ms Wanjiru added.

FATAL CRASH

County Police Commander Hassan Barua said investigations to establish the cause and events leading to the fatal crash had started.

In another accident on Sunday morning, a bus belonging to Coast Bus Company collided with a saloon, killing three people on the spot.

This brought the number of people who  have died at Salgaa black spot since the New Year began to eight.

The 2am collision, which occurred about 24 hours after the accident that claimed the lives of the five boys, involved a bus that was heading to Nairobi from Kisumu and a stationary car.

Area police boss Joseph Mwamburi said the bus hit the car when its brakes failed. Among the dead was a young girl.

The bus driver fled after the accident.

SERIOUSLY INJURED

“Five passengers were seriously injured when the bus landed in a ditch. They were taken to Rift Valley General Hospital,” Mr Mwamburi said.

Survivors told the Nation that the bus broke down several times before the accident. Ms Christine Adhiambo said she was asleep but was woken by passengers’ screams.

She suffered minor facial and head injuries.

“I thought of alighting but could not do so because I did not have extra money to board another vehicle.

“I have survived because of God’s mercies, the bus was not roadworthy and it kept undergoing repairs along the road,” a teary Ms Adhiambo told reporters.

The bodies of the deceased were taken to the Nakuru County mortuary.