A court ruled in lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi's favor on August 6 after he sued the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) over damage sustained on his Bentley Bentayga in 2018.
Abdullahi had blamed KeNHA for negligence after his windscreen was damaged by stones that hit his car during the re-carpeting of the Nairobi-Namanga Highway.
Abdullahi was awarded Ksh 750,311 as special damages for repairs and labour costs resulting from the incident.
He was driving back to Nairobi from Arusha, Tanzania and argued that KeNHA should have sealed off the road while the works were being undertaken.
Abdullahi argued that by failing to seal off stretches of the road, KeNHA had also failed to prevent possible road accidents. He observed that KeNHA failed to put up sign boards informing road users of the works ahead.
The lawyer maintained that KeNHA owed him and other road users a duty of care, raging against shoddy jobs sometimes undertaken by government contractors.
Abdullahi had sought to have KeNHA held wholly liable for the damage to his windscreen, and wanted the agency to also pay the costs of the suit.
While a section of Kenyans were surprised at the damages awarded for his windscreen, enough to buy another car, Ahmednassir also inspired responses from Kenyans who have experienced negligence at the hands of other government agencies.
Some hoped it would set a precedence for government agencies to pay for accidents caused by poor roads, potholes and poor signage.
Ahmednassir caused a buzz when he acquired the Bentley Bentayga in early 2018. The vehicle costs an estimated Ksh47 million.
Marketed by Bentley as the fastest SUV in the world, the vehicle has a maximum speed of 190 mph (306 km/h).
It features a W12 engine with 626 bhp (635 PS), and accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds (0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds).
