Kabarak university student has succumbed to injuries after an attempt to escape from a reckless matatu driver.
Edwin Kipkemoi Langat, a fourth-year nursing student died on Thursday at Kericho County hospital where he had been admitted.
The incident allegedly occurred on Sunday evening.
“It pains us to lose our family member who we had struggled to educate and was our beacon of hope. We were looking forward for his graduation as he was in his last semester at the university,” said the deceased’s uncle, Nehemia Kiptoo.
The family demanded the arrest and the prosecution of the driver for causing the student’s death.
“We want justice to be done against the driver who caused our kin’s death,” Kiptoo said in an interview with the Standard.
Kericho East OCPD Justus Kitetu said they had already arrested the driver following the death of the student.
“We had initially arrested and charged the driver for careless driving and defying police orders to stop but with the death of the student we have re-arrested him and will prefer more charges against him,” he said.
The officer added that though a traffic police officer had intercepted the vehicle at Kericho town on the fateful Sunday, the driver had defied orders to proceed to the local police station and sped off.
It was said that apart from the deceased university student who was on his way back to the campus, four other passengers had jumped off the speeding vehicle but had sustained minor injuries.
They were treated and discharged at the Kericho county hospital.