Two people on Saturday died after a 14-seater matatu rammed into pedestrians in Embu town.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to the media, the matatu driver lost control of the vehicle, prompting locals in the area to flee to avoid collision.
However, two pedestrians, who were not aware of the speeding vehicle, were hit and died on the spot.
As a result of the impact, the vehicle rolled several times before landing in a ditch.
“I was at the Petrol station, waiting to board a matatu to Meru before I saw the vehicle coming at a high speed,” one witness said.
“We don’t know if it’s the brakes or what is really wrong with that matatu,” another witness pointed out.
Embu police Commander David Kabena did not respond to our calls or comments on the incident.
Local residents are now calling on NTSA for tight vehicle inspections on Matatus to avoid such incidences in the future.
Kenyan roads have witnessed several accidents this year alone, killing and maiming thousands of road users.
According to the latest accident data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), about 2,124 people have died from road accidents from January to June this year.
Among these, pedestrians constitute the largest number of road casualties recording 571 followed by motorcycle operators with 449 casualties.
NTSA believes the primary cause of accidents in the country is unfit drivers.
