By Bonface Mulyungi
Three people were killed and three others seriously injured on Thursday night after a vehicle rammed into six pedestrians at Kibirigwi Trading Centre along the Sagana–Karatina Road in Ndia, Kirinyaga County.
According to Kirinyaga West Sub-County Police Commander Julius Gaya, the accident occurred at about 5 p.m. and involved a Toyota Wish driven by an Italian national identified as Scavo Nicola Antonio. The victims included three pupils from a local primary school.
Police said the driver was travelling from Karatina towards Sagana when he lost control and struck six pedestrians who were standing on the left side of the road at Kibirigwi Trading Centre. All six sustained multiple injuries and were rushed to Kibirigwi Health Centre for treatment.
A three-year-old girl died while receiving treatment at the facility. Three other victims — a man and two women — were later referred to Karatina General Hospital. A 24-year-old man subsequently died while undergoing treatment, while a 63-year-old woman was pronounced dead on arrival at Jamii Hospital in Karatina after being referred from Karatina General Hospital.
The three survivors, all girls aged between nine and 11 years and pupils at Kibirigwi Primary School, are currently receiving treatment at Karatina General Hospital.
The bodies have been moved to a local mortuary pending post-mortem examinations.
The incident sparked protests from residents, who attempted to lynch the driver before police intervened and escorted him to safety, leaving the vehicle at the scene.
“We wanted to set the driver’s vehicle on fire, but a police officer advised us against it because it would interfere with investigations,” some residents said.
The accident caused a major traffic snarl-up along the busy highway, with traffic disrupted between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Motorists travelling between Nairobi and Karatina were forced to seek alternative routes as security officers worked to restore order.
Kirinyaga West Sub-County Police Commander Julius Gaya and Kiine Location Chief David Githinji later addressed residents and persuaded them to disperse, allowing normal traffic flow to resume at around 10 p.m.
The Toyota Wish sustained damage to its left front side and was towed to Sagana Police Station pending inspection.
Residents of Kibirigwi are now mourning the victims and have renewed calls for the completion of a pedestrian footbridge along the dual carriageway, arguing that delays in the project have contributed to numerous accidents in the area.
