Wreckage of the ill fated Matatu at the Scene of Accident. Photo Courtesy. 
By Andrew Mbuva.
Makueni County has been plunged into mourning after eight people died in a grisly road accident involving a matatu that was ferrying more than 50 passengers to a dowry ceremony in Katulye.
The accident occurred at Maumba, in Ikangavya Sub-location, Nzaui, after the vehicle, popularly known as Nidhamu, veered off the road and rolled for about a kilometre down a steep slope before landing in a stream.
The passengers, who included family members and villagers from Nthongoni in Kibwezi, were travelling to attend a dowry function when tragedy struck.
Nzaui/Kilili/Kalamba Ward MCA Francis Mutuku, who coordinated the rescue operation, gave a chilling account of the moments leading to the crash, saying the driver had initially raised concerns about the number of passengers aboard the vehicle.
According to Mutuku, the matatu had barely travelled about 50 metres after leaving the main road when the driver stopped and asked some passengers to alight, fearing that the vehicle would not manage the steep descent while heavily loaded.
“The driver made a stop and asked some people to alight from the vehicle because he feared that the matatu could not manage to go down the slope with the number it had carried,” Mutuku said.
However, the passengers reportedly declined, arguing that other vehicles routinely used the same route while carrying heavy loads, including oranges, without encountering problems.
Mutuku said the driver subsequently returned to the vehicle, started the engine and attempted to continue with the journey.
“According to some of the survivors whom we talked to, when the driver got back to the matatu and started the engine to continue with the safari, it did not even take 10 metres before the vehicle veered off the road,” he said.
The vehicle then rolled down the steep terrain for approximately one kilometre before plunging into a stream, leaving passengers trapped and injured.
Mutuku said rescuers who arrived at the scene were confronted with a difficult operation, with no adequate equipment available to lift the injured passengers from the ravine.
“We managed to rescue so many people. We would carry the injured up the hill using our bare hands because there was no alternative,” he said.
Seven people died at the scene, while another succumbed to injuries while being rushed to hospital, bringing the death toll to eight.
The matatu was also carrying several goods, including bundles of baking flour, crates of soda and goats. One of the goats died in the accident.
During the rescue operation, five mobile phones recovered from the scene were handed over to the area chief.
Makueni County Chief Officer for Health Dr Harvey Mulei Mbithi said the county health department immediately activated its emergency response after receiving reports of the accident.
Four ambulances that were closest to the scene were dispatched to evacuate the injured, with patients taken to Matiliku Sub-County Hospital and Makueni County Referral Hospital.
Dr Mbithi said although seven victims died at the scene, the county health facilities had not recorded any additional deaths among those who were taken to hospital.
“We were able to lose seven people there on the spot who lost their lives in the accident. But out of those who were taken to Matiliku and Makueni County Referral Hospital, we have not lost even a single person,” he said.
He said medical teams had been alerted in advance, enabling them to receive and treat the injured immediately upon arrival.
“As of yesterday, at Makueni County Referral Hospital we had one patient who was very critical, a woman who had sustained more serious injuries than the others. But by 7am when we were leaving the hospital, she had been stabilised and was no longer in danger,” Dr Mbithi said.
The Chief Officer said none of the injured patients had required admission to the Intensive Care Unit, with most suffering minor injuries and fractures.
Some patients had already been discharged, while others who felt well enough opted to return home. Those with more serious injuries remained under observation and treatment.
Dr Mbithi added that some patients had undergone surgical toileting to clean and treat their wounds, but were also in stable condition.
He commended the medical teams for working through the night to stabilise the victims and prevent further loss of life.
“We have been able to stabilise all the patients whom we received in our hospitals in Matiliku and Makueni County,” he said.
Leaders Send Condolences
Leaders from Makueni have sent messages of condolence to the families who lost their loved ones in the accident.
Among those who expressed their condolences were Makueni County MP Rose Museo, Makueni Constituency MP Susan Kiamba and Kaiti MP Joshua Kimilu.
Museo also urged residents to exercise caution when travelling to social functions, particularly at night.
She called on organisers of such events to consider the condition of roads leading to venues and, where necessary, advise guests to travel during daylight hours.
The accident has renewed concerns over road safety, especially the transportation of large numbers of passengers to social and family functions using overloaded vehicles and routes with challenging terrain.
As families begin the difficult task of laying their loved ones to rest, residents have been left mourning what was meant to be a journey to celebrate a family union but ended in one of the county's deadliest road tragedies in recent times.
