By Carolyne Necheza in Kakamega County.
One of the eight Lwandeti crash victims died on the same day his second wife gave birth to her first child, Oscar Barasa.
Murenje Barasa, 44, was among three motorcycle occupants, who died in the grisly road accident that occurred at 11:30pm on Friday, June 28, at Lwandeti area on the Eldoret-Malaba highway.
The crash happened after the boda boda Barasa was riding on rammed onto an oncoming 14-seater matatu, which was headed towards Bungoma from Nairobi.
The boda boda had, a few minutes earlier, attempted to overtake a long distance transit goods truck before hurtling into the matatu belonging to North Rift Shuttle. All the three motorbike occupants died on the spot.
The truck, which was headed towards Nakuru from Malaba, also smashed into the matatu, killing five passengers in the 14-seater vehicle, and leaving eight with serious injuries.
The injured were taken to Webuye Sub-County Referral Hospital, whereas the deceased were moved to the health facility’s morgue.
-DEATH ON SON’S BIRTHDAY-
The pillion passenger, Barasa -- a resident of Shandeche Village in Lugari Constituency --, was heading home after spending the evening at a drinking joint in Lwandeti centre, when the accident occurred.
Barasa leaves behind two wives and six children – five with his first wife; and one with his second wife, Joan Naliaka, who gave birth to a son on the same day Barasa died.
Barasa had planned to spend the whole Saturday with Naliaka.
Lwandeti residents now want police roadblocks re-erected in the area, saying “since they were removed following IG Mutyambai’s order, the number of accident cases happening on the Eldoret-Malaba highway, particularly at Lwandeti, have increased”.
