Residents of Kihuro in Gaturi, Murang'a, watch as a tow truck prepares to pull the wreckage of an accident from the scene on March 11, 2026/ ALICE WAITHERA 


Tragedy struck Kihuro village in Gaturi, Kiharu Constituency, after two brothers lost their lives in a late-night road accident involving a truck and a motorcycle.

The accident occurred at around 10.30 pm when a truck ferrying sand from Kimathi towards Mathioya collided with a motorcycle that was carrying the two brothers from Mahua-ini area.

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The loud impact attracted residents who rushed to the scene, only to find the two young men, both believed to be in their twenties, lying lifeless on the road.

The truck driver reportedly fled immediately after the accident, sparking anger among villagers who accused him of reckless driving.

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Residents claimed the driver had developed a habit of transporting sand late at night while driving dangerously along the road, saying he had previously narrowly missed several road users.

The wreckage of a bodaboda that crushed with a truck in Kiharu, Murang'a/ALICE WAITHERA


Mary Wanjiku, a resident, said the community was overwhelmed by grief after the deaths of the two young men.

“As residents of Gaturi area, we are very angry. We have seen him driving dangerously and now we have lost two of our sons. Everybody knows how the driver behaves,” she said.

“At times, boda boda riders are blamed for accidents, yet in many cases reckless motorists are responsible. Why don’t drivers respect riders yet they are our fathers, brothers and sons?” she posed.

Joseph Mutonya, secretary of the local Nyumba Kumi committee, said he received information that the two young men involved in the accident had died on the spot.

Mutonya also pointed out that the Gakonya–Kigetu-ini road is riddled with potholes, forcing motorists and motorcycle riders to manoeuvre dangerously and increasing the risk of accidents.

“It is very painful that this family has lost two sons. One of them was a boda boda mechanic who helped many riders maintain their motorcycles,” he said.

He urged the county government to regulate the transportation of construction materials at night and called on local leaders to push for urgent repairs of the pothole-ridden road.

A police officer at the scene of an accident involving a truck and a bodaboda in Kiharu, Murang'a/ ALICE WAITHERA 


Paul Maina, a boda boda rider, said one of the deceased was his long-time friend and a trusted mechanic in the area.
“This accident has ended the lives of two young men who had bright futures ahead of them. As boda boda riders, we feel that many motorists do not respect us on the road, yet we also have families that depend on us,” he said.

Joseph Warui, the discipline master of the Kabuta Boda Boda Association, said several complaints had previously been raised against the truck driver.

“They ferry sand at night to evade levies and when residents complain about their dangerous driving, they insult them,” he said.

Police officers from the Kigetu-ini police post arrived at the scene and helped tow the wreckage of the truck and the motorcycle while the remains of the two were taken to the Murang'a County morgue.

According to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), motorcycle crashes account for a significant proportion of road fatalities in Kenya, with 1,133 boda boda riders losing their lives in road accidents in 2023.

Last year, about 1,085 motorcyclists had lost their lives by October, highlighting the persistent danger faced by riders and passengers.