Kitengela: Man dies after being thrown out of Super Metro bus, then run over

A grieving family is demanding swift police action after crew members of a Super Metro bus allegedly pushed a 25-year-old man to his death from a moving vehicle.

The family of Joseph Mureithi claims he was thrown out of the bus on Tuesday night along the Kitengela–Namanga Highway.

They allege that moments after he was ejected, the same vehicle ran over him before speeding off, leaving him fatally injured by the roadside.

Police have since arrested two crew members as investigations intensify. Meanwhile, Super Metro says it is still piecing together the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.

Mureithi, a petrol attendant at a station in Athi River, had reportedly just finished work.

Witnesses say he arrived at the stage along the busy Kitengela-Namnaga highway, just a few metres from Shalom Hospital, and boarded a Super Metro bus heading to Nairobi from Kitengela at around 11pm.

But what was meant to be a routine ride home would turn tragic. Passengers claim the bus was overcrowded, and that the crew appeared chaotic and confrontational.

Moments after Mureithi boarded, the vehicle pulled away. In less than a kilometre, the 25-year-old was allegedly pushed out of the moving bus.

His life cut short in an instant, with witnesses alleging that the same bus ran over him before speeding off into the night.

Juma Otieno, a witness, said: “Aliingia kwa gari, gari ikatoka. Kufika pale chini ndio ni kama msukosuko ikaanza na huyo kijana akatolewa kwa gari akaanguka chini. Nilikuwa nafikiria ameanguka tu hivi hivi, kufika hapo kumbe ameanguka na kichwa ikapasuka.”

Patrick Muthomi, a family member of the deceased, stated: “Badala ya kurusha mtu nje, afadhali umwambie hii pesa haitaweza, kaa nje ungojee gari next. Kijana wetu sasa ametuwacha namna hiyo, na alikuwa ametoka tu kazi vizuri akapanda matatu imfikishe Mlolongo. Wakafanya tu kumrusha nje, wakapitia juu yake na wakakimbia hawataki kujua.”

It took the swift intervention of a standby Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Subaru patrol vehicle to bring the bus to a stop.

Detectives pursued and eventually impounded the vehicle. The bus, registration number KDK 060H, was later towed to the Athi River Police Station. The driver and the conductor are in police custody.

“Huyo ndio alikuwa first born…ni yeye alikuwa anafanya kazi at least analipia mama yake rent na anasaidia kijana mdogo mwenye ako nyuma yake. Naomba kama serikali inaweza tuangalia,” said Muthomi.

Mureithi, a young man who had only recently secured a job to help settle his ailing mother’s hospital bills was pronounced dead on arrival at Shalom Hospital.

An autopsy will be carried out on Thursday as detectives appeal to witnesses to come forward with any information that could shed light on the circumstances surrounding his death.

The Super Metro management has since expressed regret over the incident, maintaining that they are still piecing together events leading up to and after the tragic occurrence.

It is another disturbing incident of reckless driving, resulting in death and now a family is in mourning demanding justice for a young soul gone too soon.