By Wanja Waweru
A mechanic at Fitmax garage, has been identified as the driver who perished in the early Sunday morning accident in the Pangani tunnel on Thika Road.
According to Starehe sub-county Police Commander Fred Abuga, James Ogola, Ogola rammed a concrete wall at the junction of Murang’a and Forest roads at the tunnel on the superhighway some minutes after midnight while operating the Mercedes Benz S300 owned by his client Joanne Muthoni.
According to a detective report, Ogola was able to escape the burning car, but after falling about a meter away, he passed away immediately.
Ms Muthoni told Nation.Africa that she had given Mr Ogola her car on Thursday for repairs. He was to return it later.
“I can confirm that the vehicle has not been stolen, it was picked up on Thursday for repairs by my mechanic,” Ms Muthoni said.
She explained that she found out about the accident from frantic calls and messages that people had sent to her phone, asking if she was the one who had caused it.
“I have received overwhelming love and I thank everyone that has tried to reach me. My phone has been ringing non-stop, and I still have some missed calls that I have not responded to. However, I feel so sad that he lost his life,” she said, adding that she is still in shock and has not been able to leave the house since she learnt of the accident.
According to the police, Ogola was heading toward the city center when he lost control of the vehicle, slammed it into the wall and pavement at the junction, and then it caught fire.
According to witnesses, the Nairobi City County firemen extinguished the fire. The corpse was transported to the municipal morgue.
Images of the burning vehicle and wreckage were widely shared on social media.
“The biggest lesson for me is the need for control over how information is shared. The images and clips shared on social media left me dumbfounded,” said Ms Muthoni.
