Sachagwan accident; Nation reporter Charles Wasonga escapes unharmed, one person dies

One person died and more than ten were injured on Sunday morning when a 14-seater matatu they were travelling in crashed into a trailer in Sachangwan area along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.

According to police, the matatu, which was carrying passengers from Nairobi to Kisumu, was attempting to overtake the trailer when the accident occurred at 5am.

“The matatu was attempting to overtake in Jolly Farm area of ​​Sachangwan section when it hit the trailer from behind. One person died on the spot and more than ten others were rushed to Molo Sub County Hospital for treatment,” said Nakuru County Police Commissioner Samuel Ndanyi.

Witnesses to the early morning accident said that the woman sitting in the front seat next to the driver died at the scene.

“The woman succumbed to her injuries. Several other passengers sustained fractures and other injuries and we helped to take them to Molo Sub-County Hospital,” witness John Maina told the Nation.

However, most of the passengers were treated and discharged.

Nation.africa reporter Charles Wasonga, who was travelling to Kisumu, was among the passengers who sustained injuries in the accident but was later treated and released.

“I sustained minor injuries to my left leg but was able to board another matatu to Kisumu. I was examined and treated at the Avenue Hospital in Kisumu before being discharged,” he told Nation.africa over the phone.

The accident caused a severe traffic jam on the Nakuru-Eldoret route that lasted several hours.

The accident occurred just hours after five people were killed in another accident at the nearby Migaa trading centre on Saturday morning.

In the accident on Saturday morning, the 14-seater matatu collided with a truck and the five occupants died on the spot.

The Salgaa-Migaa-Sachangwan section is a known danger point along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.

There are other danger spots on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway: Ngata, Sobea, Jolly Farm, Mukinyai, Total and Mau Summit.

A series of accidents along the Salgaa-Migaa-Sachangwan road prompted the government to initiate the construction of a concrete barrier.