This archive report was first published on 17 October 2019.
Heavy rains in Kitui County have claimed four lives after a private vehicle was swept away by floods on Wednesday night.
The incident occurred in the Matinyani area, where a pickup double cabin car was carrying six people, including staff from Prime Telecom Ltd and hired casual workers, from Mwingi to Kitui town.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the car failed to notice a shallow bridge erected at that section of the river, despite being warned by bodaboda operators at Kakumuti market.
"The driver was warned by bodaboda operators at Kakumuti market who hooted at him to warn of the danger ahead but he did not stop," said Evans Mulandi, a resident.
Three bodies were retrieved from the raging river on Thursday morning, while the fourth one was recovered at around noon.
Kitui West MP Edith Nyenze and Matinyani MCA Silvester Munyalo visited the scene and called for the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Kerra) to erect guard rails at the bridge to prevent similar incidents in the future.
"So many people have drowned on that section of the river and there is need to erect guardrails to curb similar future incidents," Nyenze said.
On October 17, 2019, the Standard Digital reported on the incident, which occurred during a period of heavy rainfall in the county.
