The driver of the Climax Coach bus involved in the fatal crash that claimed the life of veteran politician and former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo has narrated what happened moments before the tragic accident.
Speaking on Saturday, Kamau Githinji, a Climax Coach driver with eight years of experience, said the crash occurred in the early hours of the morning as he was driving from Nairobi to Busia with 65 passengers on board.
According to Githinji, Jirongo’s Mercedes-Benz entered the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway from a petrol station at the Karai area in Naivasha and failed to give way.
“I was coming from Nairobi heading to Busia. The Mercedes was exiting a petrol station and did not give way,” Githinji said.
He explained that the Mercedes appeared to hesitate after the driver noticed traffic on his side of the road, before making a sudden move that placed both vehicles on a direct collision course.
“Mercedes ilikuwa inatoka kwa mafuta petrol station na mimi natoka Nairobi nikienda Busia. Mercedes hakugive way,” he recalled.
Githinji said he briefly considered swerving to avoid the crash but realised that doing so could have endangered the lives of dozens of passengers by causing the bus to overturn.
“Nilijaribu kuokoa, nikahisi gari yangu inaweza enda chini. Nikabaki kwa lane yangu, naye akakuja moja kwa moja tukakutana kichwa na kichwa,” he said.
He noted that the Mercedes-Benz had only one occupant—the driver—while the bus was carrying 65 passengers.
The impact left passengers shaken as emergency responders rushed to the scene. Githinji said he only learned later, after police arrived, that the driver of the Mercedes-Benz was Cyrus Jirongo.
“Sikujua dereva wa Mercedes alikuwa Cyrus Jirongo hadi polisi walipofika,” he said.
Police have since launched investigations to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the crash.
However, videos circulating on social media reportedly show Jirongo drinking alcohol with friends at a party hours before the accident.
While it is being alleged that he may have been intoxicated at the time of the crash, police are yet to confirm whether alcohol played a role.
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