Uproar After 14-Seater Matatu Involved in Accident While Carrying 19 Students
Following a horrific accident that injured 21 people, including 19 kids, Tinderet Member of Parliament Julius Kibiwot has demanded harsh punishment for the traffic police officials stationed along the Nandi Hills-Kopere highway in Nandi County.
Speaking outside the Nandi Hills Hospital on Tuesday, March 4, Kibiwot charged that the traffic cops were being careless by not apprehending the conductor and driver of the Toyota Hiace prior to the collision.
He continued by asking how a car that could hold 11 passengers could carry 21 without the traffic cops detecting the overload.
“How can a Nissan that should have held 11 people be permitted to pass while carrying 19 pupils, a driver, and a conductor, according to our police officers? Kibiwot asked, “The police who are here must answer.”
“With its limited capacity and knowing full well that the vehicle is traveling through a dirty area like this, it is unfair to allow such a vehicle to carry 21 people,” he continued.
Kibiwot urged representatives of the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to install barriers along the highway in order to stop other fatalities at the blackspot.
One Form Four student lost their life in the Monday night accident, while the other students were hurt but taken to Nandi Hills Hospital for treatment.
The car reportedly lost control, rolled over the roadway, and landed in a ditch as the children were returning to school following their half-term holiday.
Social media posts showing the car’s considerable damage, including broken windows, displaced seats, and deflated tires, revealed the accident’s seriousness.
A medical officer at Nandi Hills Hospital commented on the issue, stating that seven individuals who had suffered significant injuries were eventually taken to the Moi Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
The health officer stated that the driver of the car, who was still unable to converse after receiving treatment, was one of the people sent to Moi Referral Hospital.
