At least two people were killed and others injured on Thursday morning when a speeding saloon car lost control and ploughed onto the pavement at Kenol Stage on Ngong Road, near the Raila Odinga International Stadium (Talanta) in Nairobi. Angry boda boda riders then set the wrecked vehicle on fire.

The crash happened at about 7.25am, according to Kenyans.co.ke, at a busy stop where commuters were queuing for matatus into the Central Business District. The Star identified the car as a navy blue Toyota Mark X.

What witnesses say happened

Eyewitnesses said the car was travelling at high speed from the Ngong side when the driver lost control. It crossed the road, mounted the pavement where passengers were waiting for transport and slammed into an embankment.

A woman who was waiting for a matatu to town died on the spot. The Star reported that a passenger seated in the front of the car was also killed, while two people in the back seat were injured and rushed to hospital. The driver reportedly survived. The bodies were taken to the City Mortuary.

The death toll was still unclear by mid-morning. The Star put it at two, while Kenyans.co.ke, People Daily and other outlets reported three. Police had not released an official figure by the time of writing.

Some witnesses claimed that two bottles of alcohol were found in the wreckage and suggested the driver may have been drinking. These claims have not been confirmed by police, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Riders set wreck ablaze

Shortly after the crash, boda boda riders operating at the stage poured onto the scene and set the car on fire. Images shared widely on social media showed the vehicle engulfed in flames as members of the public and rescuers milled around. Witnesses told Kenyans.co.ke that some of the riders said they were burning the car to chase away bad omens linked to the deaths.

Police said they had opened investigations and cautioned the public against taking the law into their own hands. The National Police Service said suspects in such incidents should be handed over to the authorities to be dealt with according to the law.

A grim week on the roads

The Ngong Road crash comes only four days after a head-on collision between a bus and a lorry at Kanga, inside Tsavo West National Park on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, killed at least 22 people on Sunday. Most of the victims were church members returning from a burial in Lugari, Kakamega County.

Figures from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) show that 3,995 people died in road crashes between January 1 and October 4 this year, an average of about 14 deaths a day.

The NTSA has stepped up day and night compliance checks on major roads under its 'Msimu Bila Ajali, Usalama Barabarani' campaign. On Wednesday night alone, 13 vehicles were detained on the Southern Bypass for offences including drink-driving and expired documents.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke (crash scene); Senkeria Pertet via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.