'They did everything together': Kimbimbi mourns inseparable cousins killed in Murubara crash

The rice planting season in Mwea is usually a time of hope, when hundreds of casual labourers head to the paddies before sunrise in search of a day's wage. But for families in Kimbimbi village, this year's season has become a painful reminder of lives cut short.

Among the 10 people who died in the devastating road crash at Murubara along the Mwea–Embu Highway were two cousins whose bond was so close that relatives say they were rarely seen apart.

Purity Nyambura and Abigael Wangui had left home early on Saturday after Purity woke her cousin so they could report for work at the Thiba Research Farm, where they expected to earn Sh500 each planting rice.

They never made it.

The two women were among the passengers killed when the tuk-tuk they were travelling in collided with a parcel truck at the Murubara blackspot, a crash that claimed 10 lives and plunged the surrounding community into mourning.

For Bernard Gitari, Purity's husband, the loss is almost impossible to comprehend.

"We could not believe it when we received the call that they had died on the spot," he said. "Seeing their bodies being removed from the wreckage was something I never imagined."

Although they were cousins, relatives say Purity and Abigael shared the kind of friendship that made them inseparable. They lived as neighbours, worked together and spent most of their time in each other's company.

"They were friends before they were cousins," a family member said. "I still wonder why death had to take them together."

Abigael's mother, Priscilla Wawira, struggled to hold back tears as she reflected on the tragedy.

"God took away Abigael and Purity together, just as they lived their lives together," she said.

The tragedy has left a deep scar on Kimbimbi village, where eight of the 10 victims came from. Homes across the village have been transformed into mourning grounds as families prepare to bury loved ones whose lives revolved around the rice fields that sustain much of the local economy.

A joint memorial service for all 10 victims is scheduled for Friday at Karoti Girls High School before the bodies are taken to their respective homes for burial.

Nyangati Location Chief Immaculate Wanjiru Njoka said the decision followed consultations with the bereaved families. Eight of the victims were from Kimbimbi, one from Nderwa and another from Kerugoya, who was travelling in the parcel truck.

Clergy from the Full Gospel Churches of Kenya, led by Rev. John Kihiu, will lead the memorial service.

"We will work together with local leaders and the administration to ensure they receive a dignified send-off," Rev. Kihiu said.

The pain extends far beyond one family.

David Kilonzo is still struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife, Rosaline Wambui. A long-distance lorry driver, he was returning from Malaba when he received the devastating phone call.

"I was so shocked that I could not continue driving," he said. "I had to ask another driver to take over."

Another grieving family is preparing to bury Charity Wanjiru, who leaves behind two young children.

Her story carries an additional layer of heartbreak. Her mother was killed more than six years ago in a domestic violence incident, while her father remains in prison and is yet to learn of his daughter's death.

"As relatives, we have now been left to care for her children," said family members Felister Wanjiru and Lydia Wambura.

As grief continues to grip the community, residents are also demanding lasting action to improve safety along the Mwea–Embu Highway, describing Murubara as a notorious accident blackspot.

They have called on the government to install speed bumps, improve road signage, repair damaged sections of the road and crack down on reckless driving to prevent similar tragedies.