A miraa pickup was Monday set on fire after it hit and killed a bodaboda rider on the Mwea-Embu Highway in Kirinyaga County.
This is after the pickup, which was transporting miraa, collided with his motorcycle.
The vehicle, reportedly traveling from Meru to Nairobi, was speeding when it struck the motorcycle at Kianjiru, near the Kianjiru Trading Centre, witnesses and police said.
In the aftermath, the driver and his companion narrowly escaped death, while the angry residents of Kianjiru and surrounding areas retaliated by setting the pickup truck on fire.
They said the speeding pickups have been behind a number of accidents in the area.
As the flames engulfed the vehicle, traffic police officers from the nearby Wanguru Police Station stood by, unable to intervene as tensions escalated.
Commuters and transport operators were caught in the chaos, with vehicles unable to pass through the area due to the road blockage.
Chairman of boda boda operators in Kimbimbi Trading Centre David Irungu confirmed that the deceased was a local boda boda rider.
“This is another tragic loss for the community, and it’s becoming a weekly occurrence. Something needs to be done,” Irungu said.
Locals want the government to impose stricter regulations on the transportation of miraa.
Kirinyaga residents are demanding that measures be taken to prevent the frequent loss of lives in accidents involving miraa vehicles.
The community is rallying for stronger enforcement of traffic laws, particularly for high-speed miraa transport trucks that often travel through populated areas.
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