Residents of Matunda, Likuyani Sub-County yesterday, August 25, 2021, protested the death of a Form Two student who was run over by a speeding vehicle.
The irate residents blocked sections of the Eldoret-Kitale highway, demanding justice for the 17-year-old.
According to reports, the boy was cycling home from school when he was knocked down and killed by a matatu. The incident happened at Furfurral trading centre around 6:30 am while the student was headed to school.
Uasin Gishu County police Commander Ayub Ali stated that the matatu was trying to overtake another vehicle when it ran over the Matunda Secondary School student.
“The vehicle then veered off the road and overturned, landing on its side. The victim died on the spot,” Ali was quoted by Nation as saying.
Angered by the incident, residents vandalised the vehicle and demanded that Mwakamo Sacco, to which the vehicle is registered, takes action.
They protested around the town, lighting fires along the road. The riots took police officers several hours to calm down.
Locals who spoke to the media claimed that accidents are not new to the spot, and called for the authorities to take action and ensure measures are taken to reduce accidents in the area.
They alleged that at least two people are run over every month in that area. They called upon relevant authorities to ensure bumps are strategically introduced along the road.
The residents claimed that their requests to local leaders had fallen on deaf ears, as road accidents continue to claim the lives of people in the area.
The student's body was taken to the Kitale County Referral Hospital mortuary and his bicycle towed to the Matunda Police Station.
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