Two people, a rider and a passenger, died on the spot on Wednesday at Itii Area near Lororo in Baringo County after a speeding police lorry rammed into their motorcycle.
Witnesses who spoke to the press after claimed that the driver fled from the scene immediately. They also claimed that the vehicle coming from Mukutani Centre and headed to Marigat belonged to the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU), a law enforcement unit domiciled within the Administration Police Service.
The witnesses reported that the vehicle lost control, veered off the road and hit animals, including cows and goats, on the roadside.
Confirming the incident through a phone interview with Citizen TV, area police commander Julius Kirago said two people lost their lives. He added the police have launched investigations with the view to bring the officers involved in the accident to book.
One resident explained that he saw the vehicle speeding and became concerned. His fears were confirmed when he later learned that the vehicle was involved in an accident.
“I saw the vehicle at a junction and it was speeding. When arrived here I found two people on a motorcycle and livestock killed,” one middle-aged man recounted.
Residents decried the incident asking the police officers to enforce road safety rules to curb road carnage. Most residents claimed this was not the first time for such an incident to occur. They added in 2018, another police vehicle was involved in a hit and run incident.
“We want justice for the families of the deceased. We demand the driver and occupants of the police vehicle arrested and the vehicle impounded,” one resident demanded. They also demanded that the government compensate the families of the victims.
This comes barely a fortnight after a military truck in Elgeyo Marakwet rammed into an oncoming motorcycle killing the rider and his two passengers.
The military truck was fetching water from Soko Bora for officers stationed in the neighboring military camp before colliding with a motorcycle transporting three passengers.
Data shared by The National Police Service (NPS) indicates that 3,369 lives were lost on Kenyan roads between January and mid-September 2024 with pedestrians accounting for the largest share of the fatalities.
