Scene of accident
A senior prison officer and his teenage daughter were killed in a road accident along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway at Konza in the early hours of Tuesday.
Makueni Traffic Base Commander John Kirima said the accident occurred at about 3.30am and involved a Beiben trailer and a Mitsubishi saloon car.
“Today (Tuesday) at about 3.30am, a car of a Mitsubishi make and a trailer got involved in an accident along the Nairobi – Mombasa highway. The trailer lost brakes and hit the car. As a result, two people lost their lives on the spot. One is a senior prisons officer in Mombasa,” Kirima said.
The late Mbitha in a past photo
Kirima, who addressed reporters at his office in Wote town, Makueni County, said the trailer was travelling from Nairobi towards Mombasa, while the car was heading in the opposite direction.
The deceased were identified as Senior Superintendent of Prisons Alex Kazungu Mbitha, 45, who was attached to Mombasa Remand Prison Station, and his 14-year-old daughter, Claire Heri.
Mbitha, who previously served as the officer commanding Shimo La Tewa Prisons, was driving the saloon car when the accident occurred.
Three other occupants of the vehicle were injured and rushed to Machakos Level 5 Hospital for treatment.
Mbitha’s wife suffered a head injury, while a 15-year-old teenager complained of chest pains. His 23-year-old son also sustained a head injury.
Kirima said the three injured occupants sustained serious injuries.
“Officers from Salama police station responded to the scene, processed and documented it before removing the bodies to Machakos Level 5 hospital mortuary,” Kirima said.
The bodies of Mbitha and his daughter were moved to the hospital mortuary pending postmortem examinations.
The family was travelling to Nairobi for a family mission, with one of the members expected to be admitted to a university in the city, a family member said.
Kirima cautioned motorists against flouting traffic rules on the highway, warning that such violations endanger their lives and those of other road users.
“I advise motorists to be more careful while using our roads. They should maintain recommended speed limits. Long-distance drivers should ensure they have enough rest to avoid road accidents resulting from fatigue. All drivers should observe traffic rules and regulations as well as road signage. Don’t overtake in dangerous sections of the road like Salama stretch of the Nairobi-Mombasa highway,” Kirima said.
The two vehicles were towed to Salama Police Station for inspection as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash continue.
Police said the accident occurred after the trailer allegedly lost its brakes, although investigations will establish the circumstances surrounding the collision.
In a separate incident, a motorcyclist died on the spot on Tuesday along Wote-Makindu Road at Mbuvo Shopping Centre in Makueni County after his motorcycle collided head-on with a lorry.
Police officers responded to the scene, processed and documented it before removing the body to a local mortuary. The wreckage was towed to a police station pending further investigations, autopsy and identification.
The accidents came amid continued concerns over road safety, with police reporting six deaths in separate road crashes on Tuesday.
The fatalities included three riders, a pedestrian, a driver and a passenger. A further 22 people sustained serious injuries, including six riders, five pillion passengers, five pedestrians, four passengers and four drivers.
Up to 4,000 people are killed annually in road accidents in Kenya, while thousands more sustain serious injuries.