Police seeking matatu driver who hit and killed Ken Walibora
Police say they are now seeking the driver of the matatu that caused the death of the renowned linguist, author and journalist Ken Walibora.
Prof Walibora, 56, lost his life after being knocked down by a Double M bus on Landhies Road on Friday.
CARELESS DRIVING
He had been missing since Friday, with his family searching for him for days.
His body was later found at the Kenyatta National Hospital mortuary.
Nairobi area police commander Philip Ndolo confirmed to the Nation that the driver of the said matatu had on Friday recorded a statement with the police after the accident happened at around 9am.
“He was chased, arrested and made to record a statement for careless driving and causing grievous harm,” said the regional police boss.
He was later released on a Sh10,000 cash bail.
While that was happening, Mr Walibora was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital by well-wishers where he succumbed to injuries.
“We are looking for the driver so as to press fresh charges against him now that his victim succumbed to injuries. He shall then be arraigned in court,” added Mr Ndolo.
PROLIFIC AUTHOR
Prof Walibora was one of Kenya’s most prolific authors, with about 40 book titles under his belt.
Some of his most famous books include Siku Njema, which was used as a set book in Kenyan secondary schools, and Ndoto ya Amerika.
Another one of his titles, Kidagaa Kimemwozea, was also a set book.
He also worked as a Kiswahili news reader on NTV, which helped make him a household name across the country.
He held a PhD in Comparative Cultural Studies from Ohio State University in the US.
He served as an assistant professor in African Languages at the University of Wisconsin before taking up the position of Kiswahili quality manager at Nation Media Group until January 2017.
Prof Walibora was a vocal advocate for the use of Kiswahili as the language of the masses.
Prof Walibora becomes the third Nation Media Group journalist to die in a road accident in just two months.
MATATU DEATHS
Last month, the Group lost Christine Omulando in a road accident at Khoja mosque roundabout in Nairobi.
Her body was also found at a local mortuary after she was reported missing for days.
Ms Omulando had reported to work on March 16 and left the office for lunch in the afternoon never to return.
Efforts to reach her on phone both on March 17 and 18 were futile, only for her body to be discovered lying at City Mortuary.
Police said a matatu veered off the road and hit pedestrians, including Ms Omulando, moments before another minibus ran over her body. She died on the spot.
On March 7, NTV lost journalist Raphael Nzioki in a hit-and-run accident in the city centre. A matatu hit him while crossing the road at the junction of Kenyatta Avenue and Kimathi Street.
The driver of the matatu that hit him has since been charged with causing his death.