11 dead in grisly road accident along Meru-Nanyuki road

At least 11 people died and numerous injured after a bus collided with a matatu and hit a trailer yesterday night at the notorious Subuiga blackspot along the Meru-Nanyuki road.

The bus struck the Menany Sacco matatu head-on and pushed it over 20 meters off the road as it was passing another vehicle and descending a steep portion of the road.

The bus which was travelling to Meru town, hit a trailer before coming to a stop.

Police at the scene reported that four individuals who were in the bus while other seven passengers in the matatu died instantly.

Jacob Mwiti, a bystander, reported seeing 11 bodies being ferried in a police car.

“It was by sheer luck that the bus did not run over me because I was so close. Fortunately, I heard a loud bang and dropped the firewood I was carrying, and ducked. The bus hit the matatu and only stopped after hitting a trailer,” he said.

According to Mwiti, the passengers in the bus were youths and appeared to be headed to a party as they were carrying various alcoholic beverages.

“The bus’s seats had bottles of beer. The passengers appeared to have been partying or heading to a party,” he said.

The injured are admitted at St. Theresa Mission Hospital in Kiirua while the bodies of the deceased were taken to Meru Level Five Hospital mortuary.

Medics at Kiirua reported that they had received 27 patients with various injuries.

“We are preparing to take some of the injured to the theatre for surgeries,” a doctor said.