The driver of the 65-seater bus involved in a head-on-collision with former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo's vehicle has spoken, revealing the circumstances that led to the early morning crash along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
Speaking on Saturday morning, moments after the accident, the driver revealed that Jirongo rammed into the bus after attempting to overtake other vehicles that were stuck in a gridlock along the busy road.
According to the 52-year-old, the former lawmaker was driving from a petrol station when he noticed a heavy traffic jam along his lane on the single-carriage highway.
He revealed that Jirongo decided to overlap and use the opposite lane that was being used by vehicles heading towards Nakuru when he rammed into the bus, which was fast-approaching.
"I have been working for this bus company for nearly 8 years, and today's accident involved my bus and a Mercedes. The Mercedes was coming from a petrol station," the driver narrated.
"I was heading to Busia from Nairobi, the Mercedes did not give way, the driver of the Mercedes saw that there were vehicles on his route and decided to come my way, and that is what resulted in the accident," he added.
The driver maintained that the accident was avoidable, adding that although he saw Jirongo’s vehicle overtaking, there was nowhere to escape, prompting the head-on-collision.
He noted that it was impossible to avoid the collision, emphasising that any attempts to give way for Jirongo's vehicle could have resulted in a more fatal accident.
He further stated that at the time of the crash, Jirongo was alone in the ill-fated Mercedes and that the bus had 65 passengers on board and was heading to Busia from Nairobi.
"When I tried to save him from crashing into my vehicle, I felt the possibility of my vehicle rolling over, so I stopped and let him ram into my bus. When the police came, it is when i learned that the victim was Honourable Jirongo," the driver stated.
Images of the car widely shared on social media platforms showed the vehicle extensively damaged with a broken windscreen and deflated tyres, depicting the extent of the crash.
The 64-year-old was a former Minister for Rural Development during Kenya's second President, Daniel Moi's administration between March 2002 and December of the same year. He also served as Member of Parliament for Lugari Constituency between 1997 and 2002 and between 2007 and 2013.
