Kirinyaga residents block Mwea-Embu Highway after speeding miraa truck kills two children

The protest began with residents chasing away miraa vehicles and blocking the busy highway, demanding action. Police officers from Wanguru Police Station intervened, but the residents insisted they would only allow non-miraa vehicles to pass.

Led by community leader Peter Murungaru, the residents expressed their frustration over a series of accidents involving miraa trucks.

"Many people have lost their lives and others have been injured due to accidents caused by these speeding vehicles," Murungaru said. "Our plea to the government to address this issue has fallen on deaf ears. We will continue blocking miraa trucks from using this road until we bury our two children."

The fatal accident occurred when a miraa truck, travelling toward Nairobi, overtook another vehicle on a section of the road with spikes installed by the Kirinyaga County government to collect cess.

The truck struck two children who were riding a motorbike, killing one on the spot and seriously injuring the other, who later died in the hospital.

Esther Njoki, a grieving mother, shared the heartbreaking loss of her seven-year-old son, a pupil at Ngurubani Primary School, and her neighbour’s 12-year-old child, a pupil at Thiba Primary School.

"One was my son, and the other was my neighbour’s child," Njoki cried. "We have lost our children, and we demand justice."

According to Mwea-East Sub-County Police Commander Mohammed Jarson, the driver of the miraa truck fled the scene after the accident, abandoning the vehicle about two kilometres away.

The residents of Kithogondo have vowed to maintain their blockade until their demands for better road safety measures and accountability for the reckless driving of miraa trucks are addressed.