A somber mood hangs over Arimi village in Elburgon after a devastating road accident along the Njoro-Elburgon Road claimed 12 lives on May 8, 2025. Among the dead, eight hailed from the close-knit Arimi community, plunging the village into mourning and disbelief.
Two days after the tragic collision between a matatu and a lorry, grief remains fresh, and families are still trying to come to terms with the loss. The accident has left a trail of pain and heartbreak, shattering homes and dreams in its wake.
In Arimi, grief is a shared burden. The community has been drawn together by the scale of the tragedy, but nothing can replace the loved ones lost. For many families, the process of planning funerals for multiple members has become an overwhelming emotional and financial burden.
Among the grieving is Charles Mwaura, who lost his 16-year-old son, Nickson Mbano. The teenager was a Form Three student at Elburgon DEB Secondary School. Mwaura, clutching a photograph of his son, fought back tears as he recalled the last moments he shared with him. Nickson had left school to return home and find school fees. His father never imagined it would be the last time he would see him alive.
Another villager, Mburu, Nickson’s uncle, echoed the pain shared by many in the village. He expressed frustration and called for government intervention, citing the repeated tragedies that have occurred along that stretch of road.
Just a kilometer from Mwaura’s home, another heartbreaking story unfolds. Henry Waweru, who was part of the rescue team that responded to the accident, later discovered that his wife, Jecinter Wambui, was among the victims he was trying to save. The emotional weight of that realization was immense. He had not known she was in the ill-fated matatu until he was helping retrieve bodies from the wreckage.
Wambui had been returning home from a colleague’s funeral. She was accompanied by three others when the accident occurred. Her death adds another cruel layer of irony and heartbreak to the tragedy.
In the same village, Peter Kamau is mourning the loss of his wife, who was also among those killed. Now left with the responsibility of raising their six-month-old child alone, Kamau is overwhelmed. His pain is visible, but words fail him. The grief is too raw, too deep.
As funeral arrangements continue, families are struggling to cope not only with their emotional loss but also with the financial pressure that comes with organizing multiple burials. For a community that thrives on unity and support, the scale of this tragedy is almost unbearable.
Beyond the sorrow, there is growing anger over the dangerous state of the Njoro-Elburgon Road. Many residents feel that their safety has been overlooked for too long. The call for road safety measures, including better signage, enforcement of traffic rules, and improved road conditions, is growing louder.
The Elburgon crash is more than just another accident statistic. It is a devastating blow to a small village that has lost sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers in one fell swoop. As the community prepares to bury its dead, the hope is that this tragedy will prompt real change, sparing others from a similar fate.
