Kasarani Deputy sub-county police commander, Muthoni Wahome, says a mistake committed by a mini-van driver led to the tanker accident on Thika Superhighway on Thursday, July 14.
According to Wahome, the fuel tanker overturned on the busy highway causing a heavy snarl after the mini-van, a Toyota Noah by make, overtook dangerously forcing the driver of a canter to veer off his lane towards the one the tanker was on.
This, in turn, forced the tanker driver to try to control his vehicle at high speed and abruptly in a bid to avoid colliding with the canter.
The truck driver applied emergency brakes which forced it to overturn spilling fuel on the busy highway.
"We had a Noah car which tried to overtake while changing its lane during that process, a canter which was behind tried to avoid collision with the vehicle forcing it to enter the inner lane," Wahome stated.
"In the inner lane, the fuel truck was approaching and they all overturned while trying to avoid hitting the Noah. However, the truck and canter did not collide," she explained.
According to the police report, no casualties were reported and the degrees of injuries were minimal.
The accident forced the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to close the highway partially to clear the road.
"KeNHA wishes to notify the public that a section of Thika Superhighway between Roysambu and Githurai (outbound traffic) has been temporarily closed after a petroleum tanker overturned, spilling fuel on the road," KeNHA stated at the time.
Interventions from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) helped contain the situation and prevent a fire disaster from happening.
Water cannons were also used to keep the crowd at bay, with the police manning the scene to prevent residents from fetching the spilt fuel.
An update from KeNHA indicated that the situation was contained and the Thika Superhighway fully opened to the public.
"Motorists are urged to exercise caution, avoid overlapping and observe lane discipline," KeNHA advised.
