Angry locals on Saturday morning confronted a police officer who reportedly rammed a police car into an oncoming 14-seater matatu along the Kericho-Sotik highway in Kericho County.
According to witnesses, the accident occurred after the police vehicle reportedly lost control and veered off its lane before crashing into the oncoming Public Service Vehicle (PSV) that was ferrying passengers from Sotik to Kericho Town.
During the accident, no casualties were reported, however, the police officer who was driving the vehicle sustained minimal injuries with reports suggesting the officer might have been driving under the influence during the incident.
The incident quickly drew the attention of locals who rushed to the scene and began lecturing the police officer. The residents then drove off the police car to an isolated parking lot before commencing to interrogate the officer.
The police officer helplessly struggled to explain himself but the adamant residents insisted on beating him up. "Are you even employed? What is your police station address?" questioned one resident.
In the videos that have since circulated widely, the officer who appeared drunk was recorded seated beside the police car at an isolated parking lot and surrounded by a huge crowd. Moments after interrogating the officer, the locals managed to identify the officer's police station.
The images of the accident also showed the 14-seater matatu completely damaged on one of its sides with the vehicle's windows crashed and the chairs torn. Meanwhile, the police van was damaged on its front side.
The latest accident adds to the road carnage witnessed across the country in the past two months. The Kericho-Sotik road crash comes barely a day after several luxury cars were damaged following an accident along the Nakuru-Nairobi stretch.
The accident occurred after a trailer ferrying the brand-new cars lost control before rolling over the highway and into a valley located beside the road. During the accident, one person was confirmed dead.
Videos of the accident showed the trailer lying on the tall Mai Mahiu grass as first responders intensified their efforts to retrieve those trapped under the wreckage.
According to a recent survey by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), pedestrians form the biggest casualties of road accidents since the year began.
The survey revealed that a total of 3,056 people died between January and September this year as a result of road accidents, compared to the previous year when 2,900 people died within the same period.
