About three weeks after the grisly Fort Ternan accident that claimed 56 lives, yet another grisly road accident has happened on the Narok-Mai Mahiu road.
The accident involving a Transline Matatu and a trailer transporting fish was reported in Duka Moja area near Suswa in Narok County. Six people are feared dead and several others injured have been rushed to hospital.
The accident happens barely a day after the government announced the return of Michuki rules issuing a directive to all PSVs to comply with the traffic laws by November 12.
In the directive, the government said that any PSVs, drivers, saccos and transport companies and even passengers that failed to comply with the NTSA Act and the Traffic Act will be dealt with. All PSV operators will now be required to have their vehicles fitted with speed governors, safety belts and the yellow continuous line before the stipulated date.
In addition, PSV drivers and conductors will be required to wear uniforms and PSV badges and display their photos as expected by law.
In a joint statement, Cabinet Secretaries James Macharia of Transport and his CS Interior, Fred Matiang’i attributed the rise of road accidents to failure of PSVs to observe traffic rules.
The notorious Duka Moja bend along the Narok Mai-Mahiu road has been named a black spot as many accidents have occurred on this road. In 2016, one man died on the spot and three others seriously injured after a Toyota Probox ferrying passengers rammed into a lorry at the Nairagie Enkare-Duka Moja bend.
Three weeks before the 2016 accident, a lorry ferrying 18 cows collided head-on with a trailer-truck close to the same spot near the notorious Duka Moja black spot.
The grisly accident on the Narok-Maimahiu today is the latest of this menace.
Although authorities have not yet given an official confirmation of the cause of the accident, there are soeculations that a truck fitted with drilling rig lost brakes and rammed into a lorry carrying fish and a matatu.
Inspector General of Police, Joseph Boinnet is under pressure after Parliament questioned why he was still in office even after the fatal Fort Tenan accident. Boinnet on the other hand insists that the police are not to blame for the bus accident that left over fifty people dead.