Over 100 boda boda riders and residents barricaded Kapenguria–Kitale road for over five hours protesting the death of a fellow rider who died on the spot in an accident after he was hit by a vehicle at Tar Tar Junction.
The vehicle was coming from Kitale and it knocked the boda boda operator a few metres from a police road block on the road.
Transport along the road was paralyzed with more than three hundred vehicles stranded from 4 pm, as residents, led by the youths who blocked the road path with logs and rocks, threatend to set ablaze the vehicle involved in the accident.
There was a heavy snarl-up that stretched for several kilometers, as resident complained about the increased number of accidents in the area. They accused the traffic officers of being invovled in corruopt deals with drivers, thus neglecting their duties.
They called for the arrest of the driver involved in the accident, saying bumps should be set up along the highway, specifically around that area since it’s becoming a ‘black spot.’
Governor John Lonyanagpuo had to intervene to calm down teh irate residents. He ordered the police officers to remove the road block since he had received many complaints regarding the same.
He further urged the anti-riot police not to use excessive force to disperse the protesting residents, saying the traffic officers should be able to do their work.
The body was taken to Kapenguria County mortuary while the vehicle was ferried to Kapenguria police station.
