The military truck was on its way to Sagana from Karatina when it hit a bump, lost control and rolled several times.
Close to 20 officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) were injured on Monday, August 12 following a road accident whereby a truck they were travelling in lost control at Gatithi near Kibongoti trading centre along the Sagana-Karatina highway in Kirinyaga County.
Witnesses at the scene revealed that the military truck was on its way to Sagana from Karatina when it hit a bump, lost control and rolled several times.
One witness revealed that the driver had probably not noticed the bump on the road before hitting it, causing a chain reaction that saw the vehicle end up in a ditch.
“When he hit the bump, the vehicle lost control and fell into a ditch. The soldiers who were there were thrown out. When the vehicle stopped, we rushed to try and save them,” the witness recounted.
Scene of an accident involving a KDF military truck along the Sagana-Karatina highway on August 12, 2024. /PHOTO
Kirinyaga West sub-county police commander Moses Koskei revealed that upon being notified of the accident, he called his traffic police officers from Sagana police station who rushed to the scene of the accident.
The injured KDF officers were rushed to Naji Private Hospital, Kerugoya Hospital, and Jamii Karatina Hospital for medical attention.
12 soldiers were rushed to Naji Private Hospital Kibingoti while 13 were rushed to Karatina Hospital with serious injuries.
Area residents indicated that the truck was carrying 33 officers. This number is yet to be confirmed.
Police officers from Sagana Police Station are processing the accident scene and have launched investigations into the incident.
On August 5, at least 30 people, 26 of them school pupils, were injured following an accident that occurred in the Sachangwan area along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.
The accident occurred after a tow truck rammed into a school bus belonging to Rockside Academy bus from Nairobi. The tow truck was reported to have lost control before ramming into the school bus and two other private vehicles.
Statistics by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) revealed that as of April this year, 7,198 Kenyans have been involved in road accidents, marking an increase of 1,908 compared to last year, with the authority referencing accidents from January 1 to April 1.
Among the 7,198 Kenyans, NTSA revealed that 1,189 died from road accidents, 3,316 were seriously injured and 2,693 suffered from minor injuries.
This painted a grim picture compared to the same period in 2023 where deaths from crashes stood at 1,129. Additionally, those who were seriously injured stood at 2,435, and at least 1,726 were slightly injured.
