Police officers in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County have provided details of the accident at Maili Tisa interchange on the Eldoret bypass that left six people dead.
The accident, police say, happened around 7 pm on Wednesday night.
Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Ayub Gitonga Ali says it involved a Kangaroo Shuttle that was travelling from Eldoret to Kitale and a parastatal vehicle belonging to the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA).
In an interview with Uasin Gishu News on Thursday, November 24, 2022, Ali said the Kangaroo shuttle hit a tractor that had a trailer, causing it to lose control which led to a head-on collision with the KURA vehicle.
Six people died on the spot as a result of the accident, including the drivers of both the shuttle and the KURA vehicle.
“The tractor abruptly entered into the road and the Kangaroo shuttle hit it from behind losing control,” the county police boss said.
Seven people who sustained injuries were taken to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) where they are currently receiving treatment.
Eldoret bypass not complete
Following the accident, the police are now asking motorists to be keen when at the Eldoret bypass interchange at Maili Tisa.
The County Police Commander says the interchange is not yet fully completed – hence the need for drivers to be cautious when using it.
Despite motorists being allowed to use the Ksh6 billion by-pass whose construction works were jointly funded by the government and African Development Bank (AfDB), the road has not yet been marked.
It also has no road signage yet.
“That road is still new and not many drivers are used to it. It is also in an agricultural area and more often tractors will make abrupt entries,” Ali noted.
“It is sad that we have lost people who were the breadwinners in the families,” he added.
