A man has been blown off by an explosive while working at a quarry in Naivasha, paralyzing the quarries operations. The explosive used to blow stones exploded as the middle aged man was setting it up at Kinamba quarry located off the Naivasha-Kirima road.
Emotions ran high among relatives and tens of the workers before police moved in to ferry the remains to the Naivasha sub-county hospital mortuary. The incident comes barely a fortnight after another man was crushed to death by a boulder in another quarry near Maraigushu area in Naivasha.
In the latest incident, the explosive accidentally went off as it was being set up killing the man on the spot as his colleagues fled for safety. According to Jackson Mathenge, it is the norm to use explosives in the quarry to break down boulders that will be later turned into building stones.
It is not yet clear what trigged the explosive to blow off as this has never happened in the quarry in years; ”There was a loud bang and the deceased was cut into pieces and died on the spot due to the impact of the explosive.”
This comes as Naivasha face a high increase of insecurity. Residents of Longonot in Naivasha are calling for improved security in the area following the killing of an 82-year-old man and a motorcycle operator. Speaking during the burial of the elderly man identified as Absolom Mburu, area leaders pointed an accusing finger at herders from neighboring counties for their woes.
The motorcycle operator was murdered two weeks ago and his motorcycle stolen before the farmer was murdered last week and his cattle and sheep stolen. Speaking during his burial, Pastor Peter Thuku noted that in both the incidents no arrest had been made a move that was causing tension in the area.
He said that in the last couple of weeks, herders seeking pastures for their livestock had invaded the area leading to conflict between them and the farmers. He said;”In both cases we suspect that some of the herders have been involved and we are asking police to intervene before more lives are lost.”