On a fateful Monday, May 30, 2022, a 14-seater matatu became a scene of chaos when it caught fire along the Kisii-Kilgoris highway, but thanks to the quick thinking of its driver, Henry Nyambega, all 14 students on board were safely evacuated.
According to Nyambega, the incident occurred shortly after the vehicle made a stopover at Nyakegogi centre, where a number of passengers began coughing. A quick glance through his rear-view mirror revealed smoke billowing from underneath the vehicle, prompting Nyambega to make a split-second decision to pull over and order the passengers out of the vehicle.
As the passengers were overwhelmed by the smoke, Nyambega immediately stopped the vehicle and asked the conductor to let the travellers out and guide them to safety. Suspecting that the smoke might have come from the battery, he and his conductor lifted the co-driver's seat, only to discover a ball of fire emerging from underneath the vehicle, forcing them to flee.
Fortunately, no passenger was harmed nor property lost, save for the vehicle. Nyambega disclosed that the vehicle had undergone service before the trip and had no mechanical problems at the time of the incident.
Police officers who responded to the distress call by the passengers have launched investigations into the inferno. A shell of what remained after the vehicle burnt was taken to the Itumbe police station for further assessment.
The incident happened barely a month after a bus full of passengers burst into flames along the Nairobi-Kisumu highway on May 2, 2022. According to the passengers, the 57-seater caught fire following a tire burst.
