A tragic road accident occurred on Monday along the Kwale-Kombani road at Matairini in Kwale County, resulting in the deaths of two individuals. The incident involved a Toyota Voxy Station Wagon, which rolled several times, causing severe injuries to the occupants. The victims have been identified as Barrack Mugambi, 22, and Eristus Karani.
According to a police statement, the accident happened when the vehicle was traveling from Kwale towards Kombani. The driver lost control of the car, causing it to roll multiple times. As a result, the driver was ejected from the vehicle and sustained head injuries, while another passenger suffered fractures in the rib cage. Both were rushed to Kwale Subcounty Hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival. The bodies have been taken to Kwale Mortuary, and the vehicle has been towed to Diani Police Station for further investigation.
County officer Ronald Chakaya commented on the situation, noting that the stringent regulations under the County Finance Act 2024 for transporting muguka in Kwale have led many to use private vehicles to evade taxes. The new law requires sellers to pay Sh50,000 for a license to sell muguka and miraa, up from the previous Sh10,000. Transporters using lorries weighing 15 tonnes must pay Sh300,000, while motorcycles are charged Sh30,000, increased from Sh3,000.
Chakaya stated that since the law’s implementation, there have been numerous attempts to evade taxes, with individuals devising new methods to transport muguka unnoticed. He confirmed that several sacks of muguka were found during the vehicle inspection and emphasized that additional measures are in place to ensure compliance and arrest those violating the law.