Police in Kilifi have launched a manhunt for a driver who fled after the truck he was driving collided with a matatu leading to the death of nine people on Sunday evening.
The accident occurred at Bondora on the Kaloleni-Mazeras highway at 3pm.
Kilifi county police commander Stephen Matu said the truck driver fled immediately after the accident happened.
“The truck was speeding towards Mazeras from Kaloleni. There was a sharp corner at Bondora and the truck veered off into the opposite lane where the matatu was,” Matu said.
"Upon seeing the truck swerve into his lane, the matatu driver swerved onto the opposite lane but the truck returned onto its lane and it was in that confusion that they collided head on."
The matatu, which was extensively damaged, had nine passengers and the driver.
“All the passengers died on the spot. The driver of the matatu is receiving treatment but is in a critical condition. The truck was carrying very heavy machinery. The machine operator was unhurt,” Matu said.
The Kaloleni-Mazeras highway has been a death trap for motorists plying the route. In September last year, eight people died about a kilometre from the Sunday’s accident scene when a bus and a matatu collided head on. A month later, a senior police officer was involved in an accident at the same scene.
Motorists blame uncleared bushes on the sides of the road for the accidents.
“The road has several hills and sharp bends. On top of that visibility is being hampered by the many bushes that have encroached on the road. Kenha should make a point of doing periodic clearance of these bushes,” Hussein Juma, a matatu driver, said.
After the September accident, Rabai MP William Kamoti gave Kenha two weeks to clear the bushes. He threatened to mobilise residents to block the road if the bushes are not cleared.
No action has been taken since then.
Edited by A.N
