Meru Deputy Speaker Mwenda Ali hospitalised, daughter dies in road crash
A vehicle belonging to Meru Deputy Speaker Mwenda Ali burst into flames after colliding with another vehicle at Kivwe village in Embu County.
Meru County Assembly Deputy Speaker Mwenda Ali was seriously injured on Tuesday and his young daughter, Mellisa Makena, died in a road accident along the Meru-Embu road.
The accident occurred when the Deputy Speaker's vehicle, Subaru Legacy burst into flames when it collided head-on with a Toyota double cabin at Kivwe village in Embu county.
According to the witnesses, when the tragedy struck, Mr Ali was travelling towards Nairobi from Meru with his two family members.
His driver, Michael Mwongera, 35, and another two-year-old girl were also injured during the accident which caused a major traffic snarl-up on the usually busy Highway.
Survivors were rushed to the nearby Ena hospital for treatment. They were later airlifted to Nairobi for specialised treatment after their condition worsened.
Witnesses narrated how they heard a loud sound and rushed to the scene.
"On arrival at the scene, we saw a huge fire engulfing the Deputy Speaker's car. It was really shocking," one of the witnesses said.
Residents blocked the road as they attempted to rescue the Deputy Speaker, his driver and two young children.
"This is the worst accident that has happened in this area recently," another witness said.
According to the police incident report seen by the Nation, Mr Ali was in the front passenger seat and he sustained a deep cut on the forehead and dislocated left knee and complained of chest pains.
Embu County commander Mr Nicholas Maina confirmed that Mr Ali was aboard his vehicle with two family members and a driver when the accident occurred.
"It was a fatal accident but the Deputy Speaker survived and he was flown to Nairobi together with other survivors who were aboard his car," he said.
He said investigations had been launched to establish the actual circumstances under which the accident took place.
"We have commenced investigations with a view of establishing what caused the accident," he said.
However, Mr Maina advised drivers plying through the route to be careful to avoid such fatal incidents.
"Drivers should observe traffic rules so that we don't continue losing lives," he said.
The Deputy Speaker's vehicle was extensively damaged and was towed to Embu West police station for inspection.
