A Murang’a court on Monday sentenced a lorry driver to one year in prison or, alternatively, pay a fine of Sh100,000 after finding him guilty of reckless driving that caused a fatal road accident, claiming the lives of a boda boda rider and his passenger.
The accused, Martin Mariti, appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Grace Waithera, where he was convicted of causing death by reckless driving following a crash along the Kenol–Murang’a Road on December 4, 2024 near the Alpha petrol station in Mukuyu, Murang’a County.
The court heard that Mariti was driving a lorry from Kenol towards Murang’a town when it collided with a motorcycle that was travelling in the opposite direction, from Murang’a towards Kenol.
According to the prosecution, the accident resulted in the deaths of John Gitau Mwangi, the motorcycle rider, and his pillion passenger, Cyrus Kamau Mwangi.
Medical reports presented before the court indicated that Kamau died from excessive bleeding, while Gitau succumbed to severe head injuries sustained in the crash.
In his defence, Mariti told the court that he had kept to his lane and alleged that the motorcycle rider veered into his path while attempting to overtake another vehicle.
He further maintained that the lorry was mechanically sound and claimed that the motorcycle struck the rear wheel of his vehicle.
However, after considering the evidence presented by the prosecution and the mitigation by the accused, the Magistrate found Mariti guilty and sentenced him, giving him 14 days to appeal if not satisfied with the judgement.
by Bernard Munyao and Tecla Lepojos
