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Widow blames self for daughters’ death in Kisii accident


The mother of two sisters who perished in an accident in Kisii county has taken blame for their deaths after she convinced them not to attend the burial of their cousin in Meru that was scheduled for the same day.

Racheal Muthiga said her daughters would not have joined their friends for the ill-fated trip had she allowed them to travel to Meru.

Mrs Muthiga, who spoke to Standard newspaper, said the extended family had made a decision to have all cousins miss the burial to shield them from the loss of their kin.

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Her daughters, Vinnah Morangi and Valeria Wangare, were among eight people who died in the road accident on Friday on their way to a birthday party in Magena, Kisii county.

Morangi was a third year education student at Kenyatta University and her younger sister, Wangare, was set to join the same university in September. The two were living together in Kahawa Sukari.

“I have lost two flowers that had begun to flourish. This is the most painful thing to happen to any parent. I have single-handedly struggled to educate them since their father died in 2001. They have schooled together in primary, secondary and now in university,” she said in the interview.

Mrs Muthiga said she was aware of the trip to Kisii for a party and also knew of Morangi’s boyfriend who also died in the accident.

“I know a majority of their friends and the best thing I have always is to allow my girls socialise with their friends. However, I always monitored them and sometimes kept them off bad company,” she said.

According to the lone survivor of the accident, Mercy Nyambeki, they had hired a Toyota Noah and a Voxy for the trip. Only those who boarded the Voxy made it to the venue of the party.

During an interview with journalists from her hospital bed, Ms Nyambeki said a male colleague drove them from Nairobi to Kisii and another friend took over from Kisii heading towards Magena.

EVERYONE SCREAMING

She said she only remembers a bang and everyone screaming in the car and has no recollection of what exactly happened.

The accident occurred when their vehicle collided head-on with an oncoming saloon car.

Witnesses say the driver of the saloon car had attempted to overtake a lorry before the head-on collision.