This Are The Two Major Mistakes Which Caused The Tragic Naivasha Accident

 On Sunday morning Kenyans woke up to news of the tragic accident that claimed the lives of at least 33 people along the Nairobi - Nakuru highway.

As the country comes to terms with the sad incident, questions abound on the circumstances involving the Saturday night accident. While accidents are by nature unavoidable, this accident presents crucial lessons to government agencies that are supposed to ensure road safety.

Two major mistakes were identified as the leading cause of the accident.

 1. Canter Allowed to Carry Explosive Material which was against the law.

 The accident involved a Ugandan canter vehicle that was carrying inflammable material. Such material are only supposed to be transported using specialized equipment which was not the case. An important part of road surveillance might have been overlooked since the vehicle was able to pass many road blocks without being questioned.

 2. Lorry Allowed to Use Highway After 6PM

 Even if the lorry had all the security features, it still would not have been allowed to use the road after 6pm given that the Ministry of Transport had an existing order requiring heavy vehicles to use the Mai Mahiu route and a separate order banning heavy vehicles from plying major roads between 6PM and 6AM

 Through his spokesperson,president Uhuru Kenyatta issued a statement saying that "the tanker responsible for the deaths should not have been on that particular road at that hour, and he expects the agencies responsible for enforcing traffic regulation to fully investigate this tragic breach,".

Here Are The Fresh Details From The Tragic Naivasha Accident Which Claimed More Than 33 Innocent Lives

More than 33 people have been confirmed dead while six others injured following the Saturday evening accident where a lorry carrying fuel lost control, rammed into 13 other vehicles before bursting into flames along the Nairobi-Naivasha Highway.

Speaking to the media on Sunday morning at Kinungi area where the tragedy occurred Transport Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera indicated that the horrific accident was caused by road bumps mounted on the road. PS Irungu noted that the driver of the Ugandan-registered Canter (registration number UAK 519C) might not have been aware of the terrain very well since he ran over one of the bumps while speeding hence losing control and ramming into other vehicles.

 Since the place was considered a black spot citizens took a step of mounting several bumps in this area. At the same, NTV’s correspondent on the ground Willy Njiru indicated that members of the presidential security team might have been caught up in the tragic accident while heading back to Nairobi from Bomet where the Head of State was on a tour.

 Njiru, who is said to have been among the first journalists to arrive at the scene, said that in addition to the numerous bodies and vehicle parts at the scene, there were bullets and other security equipment scattered all over the ground.

 The correspondent, however, contradicted the PS’ version that the accident happened at 9.45 pm stating that the accident occurred at around 8.30pm since he arrived at the scene at exactly 9pm and he filmed 11 vehicles. Concern has however been raised on why a Canter had been authorised to transport highly inflammable fuel yet the material should be transported by specialised vehicles. The Nation reports that four victims were taken to the Naivasha Mt Longonot Medical Centre while two were treated and discharged.

According to the Clinical Officer at the facility Dalmas Otumba,two other victims were taken Nairobi hospital for specialised treatment. According to The Standard, among those who were killed were nine GSU officers whose car was hit by the speeding lorry before it burst into flames.

Sources from kenyans.co.ke indicate that security personnel sparked tension at the scene as they swiftly moved in to contain the situation and recover all the guns that the GSU officers were carrying. Since then police have restored traffic flow along the busy highway.