Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Awendo Town.
WHAT was otherwise billed as a high profile burial of a highly respected elder and prominent sugar cane farmer in Awendo district cane growing zone turned tragically when two other accidents occurred leaving two mourners with multiple leg fractures.
It was indeed a double tragedy in the true sense because the deceased Mzee Nahashon Nyandiga Aloo was himself a victim of motorbike boda boda taxi.
Mze Aloo died two weeks ago when motorbike taxi collected him at his Ng’ong’a village home in Waundha sub-location, Sakwa South in Awendo district within Migori County, He was travelling to Awendo town a distance of six kilometers when the accident occurred.
But while riding on the main road between Awendo and Uriri center, a drunken motorbike rider suddenly appeared from an inlet road and hit his machine by the side killing him instantly.
In what appeared to be double tragedy, a woman mourner whose name was given as Mrs Barracj Aduwo who left the burial site on a motorbike taxi was crashed within only a few meters from the funeral home. She sustained multiple leg fractures.
Another an unidentified woman mourner was also crashed at a distance of few kilometers from the same home. Both women were rushed to the hospitals within Awend and Migori districts where they are receiving treatment.
Mzee Aloo who was in his early 80s is a retired former senior civil servant. Among the thousands f mourners who gave the elderly farmer a tearful send off include former Education PS Leo P Odero, the former DVC of Moi University Prof. Douglas Odhiambo, the chairman of Awendo Town Council Johnson Omolo Owiro, a one time two terms MP for the larger Homa-Bay constituency Phares Oluoch Kanindo.
Also in attendance were two local technocrats Nginjo Abonyo and John Odera Nyangaga both are CEOs in private sector in Nairobi and the MD SONYSUGAR Paul Odolla, Awendo DO 1, civic leaders from Rongo, Migori and Awendo Councils, religious leaders, teachers and farmers within the region.
Speaker after speaker heaped a lot of praise to the late Nyandiga for having been a man of peace and love who worked hard both as civil servant and later as a farmer and trader and urged others to emulate him. He lived a humble life of a staunch Christian had extended a hand of help many young men and women apart from educating his own children and those of his other deceased brothers.
They appealed to the government through the Ministry of Transport and the police to bring the menace of motorbike boda boda taxis to sanity in order to curb uncalled for deaths on Kenyan roads.
The number deaths occurrences on daily basis have already outstripped those killed by motor vehicles. An since it is the new made of transport in the country like its n other developing countries the police must ensure the riders are competent enough t o ferry the traveling passengers n the main-roads and highways.
They said the riders must produce certificate of proficiency, driving licenses, and the certificate of good conduct from the police before they are allowed to operate their machines on the main-roads.
Distributors selling the motorbike must also be compelled to ensure they may only sell the new bike to a rider on production of a driving license. The number of the boda boda motorbikes be curtailed by he licensing authority and be reduced o a manageable numbers
The boda boda motorbikes should be confined only to operate on feeder and access roads, but not on the highways unless within the town centers.
Those who addressed the mourners said they were alarmed at the high rate of deaths caused by boda boda motorbike taxis and now calls their operation to be regulated to avoid more loss of lives on the road carnage.
Ends