Traffic on the Eldoret-Webuye road was briefly halted on Saturday, January 11, after a fuel-laden trailer flipped over, blocking the busy route.
Following the accident, a crowd of local residents rushed to the scene, collecting the spilled fuel that was spreading across the highway.
Reports suggest that the trailer lost control and overturned near a thicket in the Mukhonje area of Kakamega County. Despite efforts by police to stop the residents from siphoning the fuel, they were unsuccessful, and the crowd continued to gather the spillage.
Videos and images shared with Wamuzinews.co.ke showed hundreds of people with jerrycans surrounding the tanker, attempting to collect the fuel. Meanwhile, traffic officers appeared to watch the situation unfold without taking effective action.
Some individuals filmed the dangerous scene on their phones, seemingly oblivious to the high risk of explosion.
This incident echoes a similar tragedy in 2021, when a fuel tanker explosion in Gem Sub-County, Siaya, claimed 13 lives after residents siphoned fuel from an overturned trailer. The vehicle had lost control while transporting fuel from Mombasa to Kampala. The explosion occurred when the residents, undeterred by the danger, continued to collect the fuel.
Another incident in March 2023 on the Eldoret-Webuye highway saw a fuel tanker explode, killing at least four people and injuring many others as locals siphoned fuel despite police attempts to stop them.
