More than 60 passengers narrowly escaped death when an irate mob torched the bus they were travelling in near the Salgaa trading centre on the busy Nakuru–Eldoret highway.
On Monday morning, the mob attacked the Mash Poa bus and set it on fire after hitting and killing a boda boda rider.
The wreckage of a Mash Poa bus that was set alight by angry boda boda riders at Salgaa, on the Nakuru–Eldoret highway, after the bus hit and killed one of them.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation
"Some of the passengers had to escape through the bus windows," they said. There was a brief verbal exchange between the mob and the driver before the bus was set ablaze. The driver fled the scene as the mob bayed for his blood,” said eyewitness James Mwangi.
The wreckage of a Mash Poa bus that was set alight by angry boda boda riders at Salgaa, on the Nakuru–Eldoret highway, after the bus hit and killed one of them.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation
Luckily, all the passengers escaped unharmed, with most managing to save their luggage. However, a few lost their belongings in the fire.
According to eyewitnesses, the bus, which was carrying passengers from Mombasa to Eldoret and other destinations in western Kenya for the Christmas holidays, hit a boda boda rider who was reportedly riding recklessly on the highway, killing him instantly.
The wreckage of a Mash Poa bus that was set alight by angry boda boda riders at Salgaa, on the Nakuru–Eldoret highway, after the bus hit and killed one of them.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation
Nakuru County Traffic Enforcement Officer Allan Ogolla confirmed the incident, stating that rowdy youths had attacked the driver and the bus following the accident, before setting it alight.
“The bus was ferrying passengers from Mombasa to Eldoret and Western Kenya for Christmas. We have launched investigations into the unfortunate incident, and those found culpable will be arrested and charged in court. I urge members of the public to avoid mob justice and instead allow the law to take its course,” said Mr Ogolla.
“No passenger was injured during the incident, and travellers managed to salvage most of their luggage before the bus was set ablaze,” he added.
The wreckage of a Mash Poa bus that was set alight by angry boda boda riders at Salgaa, on the Nakuru–Eldoret highway, after the bus hit and killed one of them.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation
The incident disrupted traffic along the busy highway for more than an hour before police officers restored normal flow.
The incident comes barely a month after a 33-seater minibus was torched by an irate mob along Thika Road in Kiambu County after it knocked down a pedestrian who died on the spot.
Cases of boda boda riders resorting to mob violence, including burning vehicles following accidents, have been on the rise in recent months.
