A 52-year-old Rwandan National, Gilbert Ntuyemungu, who was driving the truck that caused the fatal accident at Londiani junction on Friday, June 30, narrated his recollection of what occurred.
Speaking to the press after regaining consciousness while in hospital on Monday, July 3, Ntuyemungu recalled driving downslope at the Malaba junction when breaks failed.
He narrated that he tried to take control of the speeding truck but the weight of the cement he was transporting to Uganda made it impossible for the truck to slow down.
The driver recalled hearing screams as the truck descended down the road. He added that the last recollection he had of the events was the impact of the truck as it crushed.
“The lorry lost brakes and went downhill very fast. I was with my turn boy but I don’t even know where he is now.
“We were at the Malaba junction. All I remember is trying to hold the brakes to no avail. Then I heard people screaming and others trying to run away from the road,” he stated.
Further, the driver recalled that he had spent two days at the Nakuru-Simba Cement Factory waiting for the truck to be loaded with the cement meant for transportation to Uganda via Busia.
The father of two sustained multiple injuries on his head, legs and on his back in the crash that saw him lose all his belongings
He added that his family did not have any information concerning his involvement in the incident because he could not reach them on the phone.
Ntuyemungu had been a truck driver since 1997 and regularly used the Nakuru, Kericho-Londiani route for many years.
Statements by witnesses on Saturday, July 1, revealed that the driver and the turn boy had packed the vehicle beside the road to repair it for a while before the truck started moving downslope.
The driver was seen jumping into the moving truck to slow it down before it crashed into other vehicles and traders at the junction.
Reacting to the incident, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, on Saturday, July 1, ordered the National Safety and Transport Authority (NTSA) to install speed detection cameras in the area in an effort to arrest traffic offenders.
Police officers, on the other hand, have been directed to step up their crackdown on all roads and apprehend motorists who break traffic laws.
