Thika Town Today

According to the Cybercrimes Act 2018 as signed into law by the President Uhuru Kenyatta last week, anyone who shares child pornography via the internet will face a maximum fine of Sh20 million or a maximum jail term of 25 years, if found guilty in a court of law.

This law is likely to catch some naïve parents off-guard, especially those fond of posting photos of their children’s nappy rash or how cute they look during bath-time.

This is a popular habit especially with nursing mothers who share photos of their children on Facebook Pages that focus on parenting and babies. In such forums, children suffering from various skin conditions, burns and other injuries have their ailments described and displayed by their worried parents with some looking for sympathy and others advice on a possible diagnosis and remedy.

The Constitution defines child pornography as any visual depiction involving the use of a minor, or one appearing to be a minor, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Visual depictions include photographs, film, video, pictures or computer-generated images or pictures, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means.

A children’s rights activists and children’s lawyer both agree that photos of an infant’s genitals on social media, no matter what the intention was, is a crime, violates that child’s rights to privacy and is a form of child abuse.

Enricah Dulo, an advocate specialising in children’s law, says that even though there is no sexual purpose to the photos of a child’s diaper rash, as long the child’s private parts are visible in the image and it is clear that it is a child’s photo, then the parent seeking medical advice from netizens is guilty of a crime, violating the child’s privacy.

“It may not fall under child pornography, but the children’s act is clear. Depicting the images of a naked child is an obvious violation of their rights, particularly the right to protection against abuse,” Ms Dulo said.

She said that even using a pseudonym or a fake account on social media would not protect violators, if the Internet Protocol address can be traced then even one trying to remain anonymous will be found.

However, Anne Kioko a children’s rights activist with a non-governmental organisation called CitizenGo, said depicting a child’s private parts and posting that on social media is outright child pornography.

According to the Children Act of 2001, “Where any person wilfully or as a consequence of culpable negligence infringes any of the rights of a child as specified in sections 5 to 19 such person shall be liable upon summary conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding twelve months, or to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand shillings or to both such imprisonment and fine.”

(SOURCE: Daily Nation)

The Kenya Meteorological Service has issued an alert for Kenyans to brace themselves for heavy rainfall in most parts of the country starting from tomorrow Monday May 21^st to run up to Tuesday May 22^nd.

According to an alert sent this morning, heavy rainfall is expected tomorrow in parts of Western, Central and North Rift Valley, Northern and Central regions.

“Heavy rainfall of more than 50mm in 24 hours is expected from Monday May 21, 2018 in parts of Western, Central and North Rift Valley, Northern and Central regions,” reads the statement.

Among areas marked as of concern include Marsabit, Turkana, Samburu, Mandera, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Baringo, Nakuru, Kericho, Bomet, Kakamega, Vihiga, Kisii, Nyamira, Laikipia, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Murang’a and Nyeri.

People residing in urban areas have been advised to be on the lookout of potential flash floods.

“Flood water may suddenly appear in places where it hasn’t rained heavily and can be deeper and faster than it looks. Do not walk in moving water or drive in it,” warned the statement.

Those in possible flood areas have been urged to keep to safer grounds until the floods subside.

People have also been warned to avoid sheltering under trees and near grilled windows or walk on open fields.

“Residents in landslide prone areas of Murang’a County should be on high alert,” added the statement.

The Met department appeals to Kenyans to keep glued to the local media for periodic updates of the weather conditions, just in case they may change significantly.

Female Genital Mutilation is a deeply rooted cultural practice, although the reasons vary between ethnic groups.  For some, it is an important rite of passage, for others it is closely tied to marriageability or the concepts of family honor and the need to preserve sexual purity.

Among the Kalenjin, women who have not been cut are seen as promiscuous, immoral and imitators of Western culture.

So when *Veronica Cherotich (not her real name) completed her primary education in 2013 in Eldoret, through the help of an aunt, her parents decided that it was now time for the second born in a family of two girls and three boys to undergo the important cultural event.

But her aunt convinced her parents to allow the young girl to first continue with her secondary school so that when she underwent the rite, she would also be ready for marriage and may be fetch the parents a higher bride price due to her education.

After the KCPE results, Cherotich was admitted to popular a national school in Thika after topping her class and later transferred to a school in Kinangop where she finished her secondary education in 2017 and attained an aggregate grade of a C+.

All the time, the parents were reminding her of her promise and when she completed secondary education, she knew that the only way to escape the cut was to fail to return home. She stayed in Nairobi with her elder sister and brother-in law.

This decision irked her parents and caused a strained relationship between them and her aunt whom they accused of betrayal.

When her parents learnt of her whereabouts, her mother came to fetch her but she was denied by the sister and brother in –law.

He son in-law bluntly told the old lady that the girl’s dream to be a Vet surgeon would be disrupted by the rite.

Back home, the mzee got so furious that he sent his youngest son to the young couple warn them that they risked falling into a curse if they did not release the girl but they remained admant and stuck their guts.

On 7^th May this year, Cherotich visited her aunt in Kitale and as fate would have it, the parents got wind abot this and attempted to forcifully take her home the following day.

She was rescued from the planned kidnap by good Samaritans who came to her aid as the scene turned ugly. Her kin assaulted and injured her but she thanks God she managed to get out of this ordeal.

Her sister and her husband took her back to Nairobi and reported the matter at International Life House police station under OB No.09/05/18.

She is now hiding in an an undisclosed location to safeguard her from a rite she has sworn not to undergo.

Speaking to Thika Town Today from her hiding, Cherotich tearfully said her greatest fear is how she would pursue her education and fulfill her dream of becoming a veterinary surgeon.

She said she has learnt from reliable sources from her Sosiot village Kaplamai location Trans Nzoia that her father has already received dowry for her marriage to a man his age and the parents are under pressure to either produce her or return the dowry.

“I fear the day my parents will discover where I am and the consequences and in don’t feel safe” she said.

In a demonstration of love and good neighborliness, Thika traders donated goods worth KES. 1million to Solai-Nakuru as they consoled the dam tragedy victims.

Led by their chairman Samson Kariuki and Thika Red cross personnel, they traveled all the way in trucks, matatus and private cars stuffed with clothes, blankets and foodstuffs. 

The traders called on the county governments all over the country to be on the forefront in fighting tragedies adding that they should set aside a kitty for disaster emergencies.

They also called on other well-wishers to follow suit saying what was more required at Solai was construction materials to help settle the victims as most of them are still sleeping in nearby schools.

Samson Njau who is the Thika market traders chairman said that they are now mobilizing donations to take to Tana River County which is also affected by floods.

He called on Kenyans to heed the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s call to plant trees saying that the impact of the dam tragedy would not have been that severe if the area had a good tree cover.

Among those who sent their donations were Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu who gave them 200 bales of Unga.

The overall best performing utility for the eighth year in a row was Nyeri having scored 183 out of a possible maximum of 200 marks followed by Meru and Thika with 137 marks.

Others who made it in the Top 10 Best Performing Utilities List are Nakuru (132), Ngagaka (132), Nanyuki (129), Ngandori Nginda (120), Embu (118), Malindi (118) and Kakamega (116).

Olkejuado (third consecutive year) and Eldama Ravine were the lowest ranked utilities, recording a score of zero in all the nine indicators.

Nyeri still tops the list of the best performing public utilities in the “Very Large Utilities” Category with a percentage score of 96%, followed by Thika and Nakuru with a score of 93% and 92% respectively.

In the privately owned category, Runda, despite losing 11 percentage points, retained the top position. It scored 93%, with Kiamumbi coming a distant second with 77%.

Naivasha tops the list of the Most Improved utilities having improved with an average variance of 36 up from 34 in 2014-15 to 70 in the 2016-17 season.

It is followed by Rukanga (32) and Karuri (28) to complete the list of the top three improvers.

Nairobi tops in the list of population size served, serving 3,426,434 people out of a population of 4,249,604.

It is followed by Eldoret and Mombasa respectively.

THIWASCO is ranked sixth in this category, serving 219,507 customers out of a possible 225,658 with 48,741 connections out of which 43,416 are active connections.

Ruiru-Juja, Kirinyaga and Nzoia, being currently under the Special Regulatory Regime, were not ranked. Inspection findings from these utilities identified material governance lapses under the SPA, the Public Finance and Management Act 2012 and the utilities systems and policies. Subsequently, after consultation with respective county governments, the three utilities were placed under a special regulatory regime to facilitate compliance.

Performance assessment and ranking of utilities is assessed and ranked on the basis of nine Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These are: - Water Coverage, Drinking Water Quality, Hours of Supply, Non-Revenue Water reduction, and Metering Ratio.

The others are Staff Productivity, Revenue Collection Efficiency, O+M Cost Coverage and Personnel Expenditure as a Percentage of O+M Costs.

The overall performance of the water services sector based on the nine KPIs and is key in ensuring that water services are provided in an efficient and sustainable manner.

According to the report, Kenya’s water coverage currently stands at 55% against a 2015 National Water Services Strategy (NWSS) target of 80%.

Sewerage coverage currently stands at 16%. This indicator recorded a 1% point increase in the immediate past year although it has been showing a declining trend over time.

The National Water Master Plan projects that the country’s current financing requirement is Ksh 500 billion against identified sources of Ksh 31 billion by 2030.

Wasreb has analysed all the feasible options of bridging the financing gap through a study entitled ‘Feasibility Study of Sewer Levy 2014’. The findings identified a financing gap of between Ksh 200- 250 billion.

The performance of Water Services Boards (WSBs) has not been ranked in the current period.

Under the Water Act 2002, WSBs were responsible for driving investments in their areas as well as monitoring of water service provision. However, the devolution of water services to county governments’ inter-alia gave the following roles to counties:

• Supervising administration and delivery of services in the county and all decentralised units and agencies

• Developing performance management plans

• County planning

• Developing standards and norms of public service delivery

In the context of the above, the role of WSBs in the current period was been limited to assessing the impact of the investments with regard to change in investment related indicators namely Water 

Coverage, NRW and Hours of Supply. WSB performance has also been evaluated on the basis of investment related indicators as outlined in Chapter 4.

If you have been keen enough to observe the receipts you get from our supermarkets in Thika, you might have noticed that some of them do not key in the cost you incur as they charge you for the shopping bag they give you to pack your purchases.

In the list of the items you have paid for, the amount paid for these shopping bags are not usually reflected. This simply means two things…

First, by not keying in that you have actually paid for that bag, the supermarket concerned is simply implying that they have given out this bag to you for free. Therefore, the money they take from you for the bag is being stolen from you as in their records, your money don’t reflect anywhere.

Secondly, in their Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) returns, they probably indicate that these bags are issued to you for free thus they (the supermarkets) should not be charged any Value Added Tax (VAT) for the same. So, in the process, they are stealing from the government by through tax evasion occasioned by false returns.

The VAT Law requires all traders to issue a tax invoice for every supply of taxable goods or taxable services, which must show the amounts of tax charged. They must therefore furnish the purchaser with a tax invoice at the time of supply.

(Related story: MCA tables motion to compel supermarket to provide customers with free eco-friendly packing bags.)

Where cash sales are made from retail premises, these supermarkets should issue a simplified tax invoice that is a register receipt which in this case is not happening.

Basically, these traders are using all manner of tricks to stay out of the tax net.

What we are trying to say is that customers must be offered receipts for all indoor sales indicating all what they have purchased, their quantities, amounts and the value of VAT (if any) charged.

Receipts are an integral part of the income-reporting system in any company – for this reason, they must always be recorded in accounting. By not indicating that you have actually bought these bags, the supermarkets are keeping it off the books so as to escape tax and make a killing from this ignorant customer.

The charge for these bags is simply a way for supermarkets to make a fast buck and easy pocket money.

Alice Wachera, the wife to Gatunguru Secondary School principal Samuel Mbogo who was murdered on Sunday night, has been arrested over his murder.

Mbogo’s mutilated body was found dumped in the boot of his car which had been abandoned at Gakurwe area on the Murang’a-Kiriaini road about 200 metres from his home.

The body was found naked, with tongue and eyes gorged out.

Confirming the incident, Mathioya OCPD Charles Mutua said the body was discovered by residents of the area who noticed drops of blood near the vehicle.

A resident, Ms. Judy Njeri, said she saw blood oozing out of Mbogo's car, and when she opened the door she found the principal's naked body, with eyes and tongue gouged out.

Gathukiini Chief Stephen Komu suspect that the killers were on their way to dispose the principal’s body but after the vehicle stalled in a ditch, they fled.

He added that after visiting the deceased’s home, they also discovered blood stains, raising suspicion that Mbogo was murdered in his house.

“We suspect that he was killed in his house because at his home we also found drops of blood and his daughter who is about 8 years old told us that two men whom she had never seen before came to their home last night,” narrated the area chief.

According to him, the couple had a troublesome marriage as the deceased and his wife severally engaged in domestic disputes. During the last incident between the two three months ago, the deceased’s wife was involved when he was cut in the head.

“We understand that the two were in a rocky marriage and the wife had at one point injured the deceased. So when we look at all these events we highly suspect the wife’s involvement in this latest incident,” said Komu.

Police officers were forced to use tear gas to disperse a mob that wanted to attack Wachera, accusing her of the crime.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers Murang’a branch secretary Rosaline Kamina condemned the murder, urging teachers to seek other alternatives to settle marital disputes.

In the wake of the Patel Dam disaster where over 40 people lost their lives and hundreds left homeless in Solai Village Nakuru County, a group of Thika businessmen have organised themselves in order to lend a helping hand.

In a perfect show of the Kenyan hospitality, Engen Cereals Brokers Association (ECBA) have teamed up with The Thika Branch of the Red Cross to gather food supplies, clothing and toiletries from well-wishers to be delivered to the victims on Thursday next week.

Led by their chairman Mr. James Thuo, the traders on Sunday that they acknowledged that the situation was dire and government alone can’t adequately respond to it, therefore called up on other actors and well-wishers to support these efforts of resuming the situation in Solai.

“In general the dam burst has left behind it thousands of needy people whose plight must be addressed without further delay. Hundreds of women and children are without food, shelter and water. There is therefore an urgent need to mobilise resources, financial as well as material to reach out to our fellow brothers and sisters,” said Thuo.

However, Thuo said that his group was not collecting any liquid cash but was rather concentrating on material support which can be dropped at the Thika Branch of the Red Cross.

In response to that, ECBA has through its members, started collecting cereals, clothing and beddings that they intend to deliver to the victim on Thursday 17 May, 2018.

His counterpart Samson Njau Kariuki emphasised that no donation was too little to help. He pledged to Thika residents to give the little or the much they had without belittling their efforts.

He also asked humanitarian organisations to come to the aid of the displaced, saying most of them did not have any means to rebuild their houses.

“If you have some shirts and pants, some blankets, or other bedding, just drop them off at the Thika Red Cross Branch office. We are also appealing to anyone who can assist us with vehicles to do so that we can comfortably deliver the donations to the people of Solai,” Njau made a solemn appeal.

Catherine Njeri appealed to her fellow women to donated sanitary towels and pampers to aid mothers who needed them as this was a great challenge to them especially now that all that they had was swept away by the raging waters.

Chairman Thika Red Cross Patrick Mungai pledged to extend working hours to 8pm every day to allow all those who wished to drop their donations at their offices ample opportunity to do so. He assured the public that, as Red Cross, they will ensure that the exercise will be above reproach and will guarantee utmost transparency.

Police in Thika West Sub-County on Sunday morning intercepted a private car transporting bhang with an estimated street value of over Ksh. 12 Million and arrested two suspects along the Thika-Garissa Highway.

The two, who were in a Toyota Noah vehicle, were believed to be on their way to the home of a well-known notorious bhang peddler in the area when they were apprehended.

The sacks of Bhang were stashed in the boot of the car that is currently being held at Makongeni Police Station.

According to Kiambu County Police Commander Adiel Nyange, when the two were spotted by Makongeni police officers who were acting on a tip off from the members of public, they attempted to speed off towards Kisii Estate but were cornered and arrested.

Nyange told reporters that upon searching the vehicle, the police found documents that indicated that the suspects had a similar case in a Naivasha court, a crime that had been committed using the same vehicle.

He confirmed that the drug had originated from Migori County and was destined for Makongeni in Thika where the business owner is being trailed.

“We have got crucial leads which might lead to possible arrests and prosecution of the intended recipient of this bhang. We are also working with our counterparts in Migori to ensure that we also apprehend the person at the other end of this consignment,” said Nyange.

(Related story: Police nab bhang worth sh. 300,000 in Biafra Estate.)

The Commander warned all those trafficking drugs and selling illicit brew that their days are numbered.

Area MP Eng. Patrick Wainaina congratulated the police for the good work and promised to accord them all the support they needed in the fight against illicit brews, illegal drugs and gambling which he noted that had contributed to the increase in crime in the area.

He appealed to all arms of government to work hand in hand so as to eliminate this vice.

“I particularly call upon the Judiciary to stop being lenient on these people. We also have a problem with the government chemist because when sample are taken there, they end up taking months before the results are out. We need to expedite such processes so as these criminals can be accorded the punishment they deserve,” said the Thika legislator.

Wainaina also challenged his colleagues in the National Assembly to come out with laws that classified crimes to avoid blanket classifications where any crime qualified for bonds.

“As Parliament, we have a big job to do. We need to classify these crimes such that people who commit serious crimes are not entitled to cash bails or bonds as this is jeopardising the fight against capital crimes,” he said.

This arrest comes just a day after police in Juja nabbed bhang valued at Ksh. 600,000 near Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) just behind the Co-operative Bank.

Police also found heroin in bulks from the suspects plus other household items and electronics believed to have been stolen from members of the public.

Police are investigating leads which indicate that one of the main suspect has connections with a lecturer at the university.

The government is in the process of rolling out a programme that will pave way for universities to set up career centres with the aim of enhancing students’ employability and creating graduates who are more agile and have a solid understanding of how the workplace works.

This was revealed by the Education CS Amb. Amina Mohammed at the M-PESA Foundation Academy Thika as she launched this year’s “The Great Debaters Contest” for secondary schools on Sunday.

“Soon we are going to set up career centres in all our public universities to equip our graduates with the necessary skills for the job market. Although we release plenty of graduates every year, employers say they do not always have the additional skills needed. We need to prepare them for the idea of moving across jobs and sectors,” she said.

In this regard, the CS added, the Ministry of Education was rolling out reforms in the education curriculum so that it conformed to the demands of the current job market. She invited students to her ministry with the aim of introducing them to these new reforms and familiarising themselves with the changes that were going on in the sector.

Amb. Amina appreciated the contribution of the patron of this debate, Julie Gichuru, for her contribution in nurturing talents and bringing about national cohesion through debating and social interaction among students from different backgrounds and localities.

Thika Town MP Eng. Patrick Wainaina echoed the minister’s sentiments by noting that a lot of emphasis was needed to drive learning institutions to churn out graduates whose degree disciplines matched their employability rather than just being knowledge based.

He added that the country needed to develop a model that took into account the work-readiness and flexibility of graduates.

“We need to relook into the current education system to ensure that the curriculum resonates with the job market. Currently, what we teach is more of knowledge-based rather than being competence-based. The responsibility for filling this gap in knowledge must be shared between businesses and universities, with awareness on both sides of the complexities of the other,” said Wainaina.

The first time MP challenged the students to always believe in themselves and aim in achieving their goals irrespective of their circumstances.

On his part, Stephen walker who is the director of the M-PESA Foundation Academy, stressed on the need to teach entrepreneurship skills among the students as not everyone will be lucky to get employed.

“We expect that after four years at this institution, our students will be in a position to go into business. We endeavour to diversify education delivery and not to churn out one particular type of students. Our vision is to raise up transformative leaders through innovative education techniques,” said walker.

Among those present included Thika West Deputy County Director of Education Ronald Mbogo, Brand Kenya Board Chairman Geoffrey Shimanyula,  Ag. Director Consumer Business Unit at Safaricom Charles Wajohi and other senior staff of Safaricom PLC and Safaricom Foundation.

The Gichia's pose for a photo outside their residence in Thika.

Faith Wambui Mwangi is a wife and mother of two boys, the 26 year old entrepreneur, self-taught writer, motivational speaker and young mother opens up to us about her journey to parenthood, surviving a fatal accident and finding her life partner and how this changed her purpose in life.

She advises young couples to work towards cultivating friendship in their relationships before rushing into marriage there are no perfect partners in fact it is those imperfections that end up making your marriage a success. She reckons that the key to a successful marriage is working hard and staying determined.

She further advises all potential mothers  out there that  even though being a mum is an overwhelming sweet experience; people think that babies are born with manuals they are not!  That being a mother gives you a purpose in life many are the time you have to wake up early in the morning and sleep late in the night so as to provide for your family.

1.Did you grow up in Thika?

I was born and raised in Kiawarigi Village in Karatina, Nyeri County where I started my primary school, later on went to St. Bhakita Kiburia Girls in Kirinyaga. I ended up in Thika in pursuit for tertiary education at Mount Kenya University where I found love, that’s how I met my husband and now am a mother of two handsome baby boys.

2. What do you like about Thika Town? 

If I was to be reborn again I’d choose Thika as my birth place, there is something about this town that keeps me going, the people are warm and cheerful, the town despite being small it offers big opportunities for investors, in all sectors of the economy be it  education, real estate, transport and it has lots of recreational places to explore.

3. As the world marks International Mother Day tells how has it being a young mother?

My journey to parenthood hasn’t been that smooth, before I met my husband I had escaped death narrowly and survived from a tragic road accident along Juja Road in Nairobi. The grisly accident left me with serious injuries, I had fractured my pelvic joints and got admitted to hospital where I was bed ridden for a whole year, the doctors reckoned that with in that state I might have to take a while to recover, though the situation did not affect my chances of getting a child they warned me against pushing my luck and wait for a period of 5years until I had fully recovered. However God’s plans were contrary  I met my husband an year later after fully recovering from the accident we dated for a week one thing led to another and I was pregnant with my first born son.  Though I never carried him to full term due to my condition after surviving from the accident, we wanted him to be born during my birth day.  

For me motherhood is the best thing that has ever happened it has given me a purpose in life, whenever I look at my two boys Bingwa and Baraka I see God’s purpose they are the reason why I wake up and yearn to work harder, with the support of my husband of course we have to see to it that they get the best in life.

4. What would like to change about Thika? 

Thika town has some really old buildings I feel it is about time  the county government intervened and see to it some of these ancient buildings are spruced up. We need to move with times like the urban town we claim to be let’s have buildings that reflect the urban-ness it will attract investors                                                                                                                                                                      
And also there is a need for us to start a conversation on how to improve public recreational facilities such as Kristina Gardens where parents can take their families out during a weekend without being scared of being harassed by street kids and hawkers.

5.What three things would you say to sell Thika as a place is worth visiting?

Come to Thika and take a tour to our vast industries just like we used to study in Primary school Thika was an the hub for major factories, secondly experience the night life which is second to none this side of the country and finally we have the most hospitable people.

Find her on face book Faith Mwangi

A police officer attached to Government Check Unit (GVCU) has succumbed to injuries while undergoing emergency treatment at the Thika Level 5 Hospital after a multiple accident at Toll Trading Centre in Juja along the Thika Superhighway.

Three students from Limuru Girls High School who were travelling in their school van sustained seriously injuries in the accident that involved two lorries, a school bus and the van.

The injured were all rushed by well-wishers to Thika Level 5 Hospital.

11 of those in the van sustained slight injuries including their driver of the van and a teacher who were seated in the driver’s cabin at the time of the accident which occurred on Saturday morning on your way to the Thika direction. 8 of these girls were treated and discharged.

Among the three girls who had sustained serios injuries, one of them was later rushed to Agha Khan hospital with another one being admitted at the Thika Level 5 Hospital's ICU in critical condition.

Parents of the injured students streamed to the hospital in the afternoon hours to ascertain the conditions of their children.

According to eyewitness account, officers from the GVCU had stopped the van and the school bus belonging to Dagoretti High School for regular checkup when a lorry carrying wheat lost control and rammed onto the van before hitting another lorry ferrying sand and eventually crashing onto the small van.

The impact of the second crash forced the second lorry to hit the Dagoretti High School bus from behind.

The children were trapped inside the van as their vehicle was sandwiched between the lorry and the ground and were rescued by Good Samaritans who immediately rushed to the scene.

The police officer who was talking with the van driver at the time of the accident almost got crashed in between the two vehicles and sustained serious injuries. The driver of the lorry also sustained some slight injuries which included cuts on his head.

No one in the other two vehicles was injured but the visibly shaken Dagoretti High School students were left stranded along the road after the incident.

The accident caused heavy traffic snarl-up along the highway towards Thika but the road. By the time of going to press, the road had already been cleared and traffic started moving slowly.