Former NMG journalist Silas Apollo is dead
Former NTV reporter Silas Apollo.
What you need to know:
- According to the police, Apollo is believed to have been crossing the road on foot when the accident happened.
- The relative said Apollo was living in an apartment named Tsavo not far away from the scene of the accident.
Former Nation Media Group (NMG) reporter Silas Apollo has died in a road accident along Kiambu Road.
The journalist, who worked for NMG’s print and broadcast platforms, is reported to have died after being hit by a speeding motorcycle on Wednesday night.
According to a family member who spoke to Nation.Africa, they only learnt of Apollo's death when the relative called his number on Saturday to check on him.
The call was received by a woman at Kiambu Police Station who informed the relative that the journalist, who at the time of his death was working for Nairobi Law Monthly, was involved in a motorcycle accident along Kiambu Road.
However, immediately after the call, another woman from the police station called back to inform the relative that Apollo was dead.
According to the relative, the woman told him that Apollo was first taken to Kiambu Level 6 Hospital where he succumbed to injuries. The body was transferred to Nairobi Funeral Home, formerly City mortuary, around 1am on Thursday.
But when the relatives visited the police station on Sunday, they got a different version of the story. They were informed that Apollo was first taken from the scene of the accident to St Teresa’s Hospital by an ambulance before and was later transferred to Kiambu Level 6 Hospital.
“I have seen his body at the City Mortuary. He is bleeding from the ears and nose. Only the head has a wound but the rest of the body has no other bruises,” said the source who sought anonymity.
The relative added that the police told him that the motorcyclist who hit Apollo only sustained minor injuries and had been discharged from the hospital, without giving him any other details about the motorcyclist.
“The conflicting reports are not adding up for me. What perplexes me is that there are no such records in the two hospitals,” the relative said.
The relative said Apollo was living in an apartment named Tsavo not far away from the scene of the accident.
Earlier on Sunday morning when the media fraternity learnt of the journalist's death, there had been reports that he had been hit and killed by a speeding car on the night of Thursday, April 10 along Valley Road.
Another report indicated that the deceased was crossing Kiambu Road when he was hit by a speeding car whose driver did not stop.
According to the police, Apollo is believed to have been crossing the road on foot when the accident happened.
Police further said the journalist was not immediately identified but the body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy. The case was initially reported as “unknown person hit by unknown vehicle.”
comulo@ke.nationmedia.com