𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐰𝐞𝐚-𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐮 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲

Eight people have died following a road accident involving a parcel truck and a tuk-tuk along the Mwea-Embu Highway in Kirinyaga County.

The crash happened at about 6 a.m. on Saturday near Murubara village in Mwea East Sub-county.According to Mwea East Sub-county Police Commander Stephen Okal, the parcel truck was travelling from Mwea towards Embu when it collided with a tuk-tuk that was carrying farm workers. The workers had left Kimbimbi and were heading to the Mwea Irrigation Research Area to plant rice.

Police said eight people died in the crash. The victims were seven women and one man.One passenger survived with serious injuries and was rushed to Kerugoya County Referral Hospital for treatment.

The truck driver sustained minor injuries and was arrested. He is being held at Wang’uru Police Station as investigations into the cause of the accident continue.

Residents who responded to the scene said the impact of the collision badly damaged the tuk-tuk, making it difficult to recover the victims’ bodies. They said they had to cut through the twisted metal using a hard saw before the bodies could be removed.The bodies of the eight victims were taken to Kerugoya Mortuary.

Residents blamed the poor condition of the Mwea-Embu Highway for the frequent accidents on the stretch, saying it has become a deadly black spot.

One angry resident said boda boda operators and other road users had suffered repeated tragedies on the same section of the road.

“Tumekasirika bana. Sisi ni watu wa nduthi. Tunauawa hapa kila siku. Wenzetu wanaenda. Sasa hii ni tuk-tuk, imeua mama ya mtu, watoto wa mtu, baba ya mtu,” the resident said.

Another resident claimed the truck may have been trying to avoid potholes and uneven sections of the road left during ongoing construction works.

“Inasemekana kwamba ilikuwa inajaribu kupotelea mashimo ambayo ilikatwa kwa barabara, wakati barabara ilikuwa inafanyiwa ujenzi,” the resident said.

Locals said they had repeatedly appealed to the government and the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to repair the road, arguing that the stretch from the Mwea junction towards Meru had remained in poor condition for years.

“Tunauliza serikali, hii barabara ni highway, na hii highway imesimamiwa na KeNHA. Kwa hii miaka 10, tunaomba tu serikali, hii barabara ni mbaya kutoka mkutano ya Mwea kwenda mpaka Meru. Iko na mashimo mengi sana,” another resident said.

Residents urged the government and KeNHA to speed up repairs, fix the potholes and install speed bumps and other safety measures to help prevent further loss of lives.

Police have urged motorists to obey traffic rules, drive carefully and remain alert while using the road as investigations into the crash continue.