Grief and tears as Kawethei buries its dead

By Standard Reporters

Before President Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka lay caskets carrying the remains of 15 of 23 people killed in a grizzly accident last week.

When the bodies were lowered to their resting place, on their gravesides the leaders stood on red carpet they probably never walked on or ever saw in their village, to symbolically bid them farewell by throwing dust on their coffins.

Then the spadework began after pr

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, left, and President Kibaki pay their final respects.

ayers, to bury yet another batch of people killed by the rage and insanity on our roads – and probably fast tracked to the graves by indifference of the police and the lip service Government officials pay to road safety.

As the mound of soil landed on each coffin the question, ‘Where did the so-called Michuki Rules go?’ seemed torent the air.

The only difference was that those calling for crackdown on careless drivers and enforcement of the traffic rules, including the President, PM and VP, are the same ones who should ensure the law is followed because of their leverage as governors.

Blissful life

But even then the villagers grieved in silence, even when Cabinet minister Esther Murugi condoled them saying death was ugly and beautiful – because even as it cuts life, it is the doorway to heaven and a blissful life in the hereafter.

In their lives, the villagers had never seen anything like it, a conspiracy by death and careless driving, which some survivors claim was powered by alcohol whose fumes oozed from the driver’s cabin as the ‘pilot’ pressed the gas pedal and hurtled the machine into an embankment of a dry driver.

President Kibaki sprinkles dust into the grave.

There, in the dark and far way from expert rescue, and left in the hands of hapless villagers struggling to free them from the metallic death cage that the crash turned their vehicle into, they lay trapped for more than six hours. Some died in the process. Others just gave up and their hearts stopped, while others just bled.

Among the dead was the driver who the village could not bring themselves to bury with their loved ones.  It turns out the driver had been chased from a Nairobi matatu terminus for carelessness and recklessness on the wheel, and was being sought by Machakos police for twice refusing to stop at roadblocks.

So on Tuesday, the people of Kawethei village in Machakos wept and wailed. Others watched in silence, numbed by the shock of losing neighbours, relatives, parents, siblings, and church members. The old wondered what curse had befallen their children. The religious searched their souls over what sin had invited the tragedy, as those close to the dead grappled with the searing pain of loss.

But then among them was the Government, in its full regalia and trappings of power. And around them was the aura of ceremony and distinction denied lesser beings.

High and mighty

The high and mighty came with mean machines that gulp petrol, make so much noise they wondered if they were not military tankers.  Their speeches were as emotional as theirs were – only that they felt some accidents were man-made, not acts of God or entirely inevitable and unpreventable.

Pall-bearers carry caskets at the funeral service.

Somewhere in the past, they remember, you could not stuff more than 13 people in a mini-bus.  Matatu crews had to be vetted, with certificates of good conduct by the police.  The driver also had to display his picture on the cabin, and wear a badge with his name. That was in 2004, when speed governors restricting speed of publicvehicles to 80km per hour were in force, and you could not tamper with them, like today.

There was also no question about the wrath of police if one was found standing in a matatu or bus. In city streets speed limit was cut down to 50km per hour. But not so today, that was then and this is now.

The Transport minister then was John Michuki. But ever since he left, two more have come but their roar on the roads is not felt, nay heard! Chirau Ali Mwakwere has since passed on the mantle to Amos Kimunya. But speak they do, along with the Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere, the President, the PM, the VP and the Cabinet.  The message always is the call to end road carnage.

The questions remain, on whose shoulders does this responsibility lie? Are our leaders lacking the power to enforce order on the rods? How come in other countries night bus travel is restricted and timetable for public service vehicles in force?

In other countries it is possible to blacklist and keep drivers with dubious road records and drunks off the road.

Crack the whip

However, amid the load of questions, the people of Machakos came forward to bury their dead, albeit with one more question: Where next will the road wipe away Kenyans in dozens, and when will their leaders stop singing the same old song and crack the whip on law enforcers to make roads safe?

A grieving family member. Photos: Standard

For, before them President Kibaki directed the police to take firm action against errant drivers and prosecute them. He also instructed the traffic police to rid Kenyan roads of careless drivers who cause deaths of innocent citizens and suffering to their families.

The day was also full of prayer, with Kibaki, Raila and Kalonzo, joining the villages for an interdenominational requiem Mass for the victims. Raila arrived early at the function in a helicopter.

Kibaki called for concerted efforts among stakeholders to eradicate the menace on Kenyan roads, which are being rehabilitated at a huge cost.

Sanctity of life

 For the umpteenth time he asserted that the tragic accident was as a result of carelessness and drunkenness of the driver. Urging Kenyans to take responsibility for their safety, Kibaki said drivers must uphold the sanctity of human life.

Raila offered his condolences to the bereaved families, adding that the news of the accident and loss of many lives shocked him tremendously. He decried soaring cases of road accidents, and affirmed that the impact of some accidents could be reduced through avoidance of overloading.

He called for stringent implementation of traffic rules, and urged police to desist from endangering the lives of wananchi by accepting bribes and allowing overloaded and unroadworthy vehicles on the roads.

Kalonzo said President Kibaki’s presence at the interdenominational requiem Mass helped reduce the impact of the heavy losses on the bereaved families.

He thanked the President for facilitating a State funeral for the departed souls, but called for firm implementation of the ‘Michuki Rules’.

Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi, who delivered a consolation message from Kimunya, affirmed that flimsy reasons must not be cited to justify disasters that contribute to loss of innocent lives. He called on Kenyans to stand firm against ‘manmade’ tragedies. He equally supported firm implementation of the ‘Michuki Rules’.