Nakuru Accident: Onlookers Loot Maize After Fatal Matatu Collision That Left 8 Dead

• A section of Nakuru residents took advantage of an accident to loot bags of maize from a truck involved in the carnage
• The onlookers were captured carrying the bags from the lorry in haste as police officers tried to restore order at the scene
• According to the police, the accident happened when the driver of a truck lost control and rammed into a matatu

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nakuru - A morning accident at the Eveready roundabout on the Eldoret-Nakuru Highway has claimed eight lives.

Police officers were at the scene, striving to restore order as a massive traffic jam had started to build up on the road.

Ugly scenes were witnessed as some of the onlookers put aside their humanity and resorted to looting from the truck that rammed into the 14-seater matatu.

Some residents climbed into the truck and offloaded the sacks while others waited to carry away the sacks of maize.

The scene got chaotic when a police officer tried to shoot in the air to disperse them from the scene of the accident.

This happened as a lady overcome with grief wailed in agony, presumably following the loss of a loved one in the morning carnage.

What happened in the morning accident

According to police, the 7:20am accident at the Eveready roundabout occurred after the driver of a trailer lost control of his vehicle.

They said he rammed it into a matatu, which consequently hit another trailer, killing five matatu passengers on the spot.

"On reaching the location of the accident, the driver of the vehicle reg.no KCG 355Y/ZE1279 lost control and rammed into a Ngata Sacco matatu reg. no. KBK 254C, which consequently moved on and rammed into the other trailer KDB341D/ZG4149. As a result of the impact, 5 people died on the spot, and several others sustained serious injuries from both motor vehicles," read the police report in part.

Mombasa Road food 'heist'

A few months back, residents of the localities adjoining the Ole Sereni Hotel along Mombasa Road got free food in the face of a difficult economy.

A freight truck ferrying tonnes of maize flour overturned at the spot, causing traffic snarl-up on the busy road.

The bales decanted from the trailer spread on the road, attracting residents who abandoned their respective courses to loot.

Motorists could be seen in the clips loading the loot to their vehicles as others used the boda boda operators on standby.

It is believed the trailer was overloaded, making it difficult for the driver to negotiate the Mombasa Road-Southern Bypass interchange.