Three people have died while three others sustained serious injuries after a vehicle veered off the road and rammed into pedestrians at Kibirigwi Trading Centre along the busy Sagana-Karatina Highway in Kirinyaga County.
The Thursday evening accident, which occurred at around 5 p.m., involved a Toyota Wish driven by an Italian national identified as Scavo Nicola Antonio.
According to Kirinyaga West Sub-County Police Commander Julius Gaya, the driver was travelling from Karatina towards Sagana when he allegedly lost control of the vehicle and struck six pedestrians who were standing on the left side of the road at Kibirigwi Trading Centre.
All six victims sustained multiple injuries and were rushed to Kibirigwi Health Centre for emergency treatment.
Among those affected were three pupils from Kibirigwi Primary School.
A three-year-old girl was the first victim to succumb to her injuries while receiving treatment at Kibirigwi Health Centre.
Three critically injured victims, including a 24-year-old man and two women, were later transferred to Karatina General Hospital for specialized treatment.
The young man later died while undergoing treatment, while a 63-year-old woman was pronounced dead on arrival at Jamii Hospital in Karatina after being referred from Karatina General Hospital.
The three survivors, all girls aged between nine and eleven years and pupils at Kibirigwi Primary School, remain admitted at Karatina General Hospital.
Police said the bodies of the deceased were moved to a local mortuary pending post-mortem examinations.
The tragic accident sparked outrage among residents, who attempted to lynch the driver moments after the crash.
Police officers intervened and rescued him from the angry mob before escorting him to safety.
Some residents claimed they wanted to torch the vehicle but were advised against it by police to allow investigations to proceed.
The incident caused a major traffic snarl-up along the busy highway, disrupting movement for several hours as motorists were forced to seek alternative routes.
Traffic flow was eventually restored at around 10 p.m. after police and local administrators appealed for calm.
The damaged Toyota Wish was later towed to Sagana Police Station pending inspection and further investigations.
