Botched Hijacking on Kerugoya Highway Leads to Deadly Crash, Seven Injured

Seven people are suffering from severe injuries, and one is dead after they were involved in a road accident on the Kerugoya-Kutus road.

The accident is not your regular accident where a driver loses control, speeds, or crashes with other vehicles. According to Kerugoya’s Disaster Response Officer, John Kiama, the accident happened as a result of an alleged hijacking attempt that went south.

Narrating how the accident happened, Kiama revealed that they heard shouts from afar. At first, they thought these were the normal screams they occasionally hear from the neighbouring mortuary as mourners pick or drop their deceased kin.

However, moments later, he noticed this was more than usual and decided to check what was happening. This was when he and others set out to the Kerugoya-Kutus road and found that the occupants of the vehicle were being hijacked and were screaming for help.

“When we came to the road, we were informed that the vehicle had been hijacked and the occupants were shouting, asking for help. One woman jumped out of the vehicle at Kerugoya Boys,” Kiama narrated.

“We tried following the vehicle to see if we could save the occupants. We found out that one of them had already died,” Kiama continued.

James Mugo, a witness to the accident, revealed that they saw the vehicle descending speedily as the occupants were being thrown out of it.

“The vehicle descended and stopped 7 kilometers away from the scene,” Mugo revealed.

All those who were injured in the accident were taken to the Kerugoya Hospital for treatment.

In 2024, Kenya witnessed an increased number of accidents with the Ministry of Transport launching the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024-2028 in April.

The initiative aims to curtail the alarming rate of road accidents, which not only shatter families and devastate communities but also pose a significant economic burden on the nation.

It is estimated that road carnage costs Kenya’s economy a staggering Ksh450 billion annually.