Solomon Ngugi, a former Nakuru councilor and a businessperson was on Monday charged in a court in Nakuru for causing a road accident and death of a minor and a matatu tout along Nakuru-Subukia road in February.
The prosecution desk told Chief Resident Magistrate Felix Kombo that the accused, 56, while driving on the evening of February 27 this year along Subukia-Nakuru road, he caused a road accident that involved his car, a Public Service Vehicle, and a lorry at around 4pm, in which a minor, 14, and a tout aged 28 died, while five other people were seriously injured.
The magistrate was told that the accused, who was driving towards Subukia ‘carelessly’ and at high speed tried to overtake a lorry while failing to signal, thus interfering with the oncoming matatu.
The prosecution said that the matatu driver, who escaped unscathed tried to avoid a head on collision with the accused’s vehicle, but instead hit the lorry head on.
The accused’s car, the court further heard, landed in a ditch a few metres away, while the lorry that was going at a low speed applied emergency brakes, a fact that mitigated a serious head on collision with the matatu.
The court was told of how a minor, who was seating with her mother at the front seat of the matatatu died on the spot, together with the tout while the driver, the minor’s mother, the lorry driver and three passengers in the matatu were rushed to hospital with serious injuries after the accident.
The accused, who was represented by lawyer James Gatambi denied the charges, and was released on a Sh250,000 cash bond.
The case will be heard on March 31.