The driver of a 65-seater bus involved in a head-on collision with a vehicle belonging to former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo has broken his silence, detailing how the early morning accident occurred along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway.
Speaking on Saturday shortly after the crash, the driver stated that the collision happened after Jirongo attempted to overtake vehicles stuck in traffic along the busy single-carriage road.
According to the 52-year-old driver, the former legislator had just exited a petrol station when he encountered heavy congestion on his lane.
The driver explained that Jirongo opted to overlap into the oncoming lane, which was occupied by vehicles heading toward Nakuru. In the process, his Mercedes-Benz rammed into the bus, which was approaching at high speed.
“I have worked with this bus company for nearly eight years. Today’s accident involved my bus and a Mercedes that was coming from a petrol station,” the driver said.
“I was travelling from Nairobi to Busia. The Mercedes driver saw vehicles ahead of him and decided to use my lane, which caused the crash.”
He maintained that the accident was avoidable but noted that he had no room to manoeuvre once he saw the Mercedes overtaking.
He added that attempting to swerve could have caused the bus, which was carrying 65 passengers, to roll over, potentially leading to a more fatal outcome.
“When I tried to avoid him, I realised the bus could overturn. I stopped and allowed the vehicle to hit my bus,” the driver said. “It was only after police arrived that I learned the driver was Honourable Jirongo.”
The driver further confirmed that Jirongo was the sole occupant of the Mercedes at the time of the crash, while the bus was fully loaded and en route to Busia from Nairobi.
Images circulating widely on social media showed the Mercedes extensively damaged, with a shattered windscreen and deflated tyres, highlighting the severity of the collision.
Cyrus Jirongo, 64, previously served as Minister for Rural Development during the final year of President Daniel Moi’s administration in 2002.
He also represented Lugari Constituency as Member of Parliament between 1997 and 2002, and again from 2007 to 2013.
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