A somber mood engulfed Namanjalala in Trans Nzoia county after a lorry rammed into two pupils along Kolongola–Kitale road. One died while being taken to Kitale County referral hospital.
The accident that happened in the evening caused a major traffic snarl up with residents threatening to set ablaze the lorry that had caused the accident.
Residents expressed their displeasure with the lorry driver and accused him of reckless driving. They urged the government to intervene and ensure the driver is brought to book.
Confirming the accident, area chief for Namanjalala location Benson Sindani said the accident which occurred at 5.30pm infuriated the residents and they pursued the lorry driver, who took to his heels. They wanted to burn the lorry afterwards, “The locals wanted to burn the lorry. We warn the locals against taking the law into their hands,” said the administrator.
It took the intervention of administration police officers who arrived at the scene on time to calm the situation, given that residents had already started dismantling the vehicle.
Residents claimed the lorry driver was driving at a high speed on the busy road without putting in mind the lives of other road users of the road calling upon traffic police to ensure there was sanity on roads especially during this time when most residents are travelling to various parts of the country with students going back to their school as well as other residents travelling back to work.
“We call upon traffic officers to make sure they restore sanity on our roads by doing away with all unroadworthy vehicles, given that they are causing accidents,” said Ben Wanjala Mlipuko, a resident of the region.