A family in Gatundu, Kiambu County, is grieving the sudden and heartbreaking loss of 40-year-old Peter Kagoni, a driver and kamagera whose life was cut short in a freak accident in Mlolongo. The devastating incident occurred on Thursday, November 6, leaving his relatives and the community stunned and searching for answers.
According to his brother, Henry Githuka, Kagoni had been offloading ballast from a truck as part of his daily work when tragedy struck. As a kamagera, Kagoni was responsible for ensuring the truck met the required weight at the nearby weighbridge. After stepping out to remove some ballast, the truck’s back door suddenly gave way and crashed down on him. The impact killed him instantly.
Githuka explained that the family is still struggling to understand how such an accident, described as both rare and horrific, could have happened. A viral photo circulating online showing Kagoni trapped under the door has deeply wounded the family, with his brother expressing the pain of seeing his final moments captured on camera. He urged the public to respect their grief, saying he cannot bring himself to look at the photo again due to the trauma it evokes.
Witness accounts and initial observations have raised troubling questions about the truck’s mechanical condition. Githuka pointed out that the container door remained down during the incident, suspected to be caused by a failure in hydraulic support. He believes that once Kagoni released the door to begin offloading, the weakened mechanism allowed it to fall back, crushing him as he worked. The family hopes the ongoing police investigations will provide clarity and justice for their loved one.
Described as a reserved yet exceptionally hardworking man, Kagoni was well-known for his dedication to providing for his family. His death has sent shockwaves through his community, with many Kenyans expressing their condolences and disbelief on social media. Messages of sympathy have poured in, with some commenters suggesting that hydraulic failure may indeed have been the cause of the tragedy.
As the family prepares for Kagoni’s burial, they remain united in grief but also in their pursuit of answers. The accident has sparked broader conversations about workplace safety, especially for drivers and loaders who work daily with heavy machinery and equipment.
In a related incident in Kiambu, residents are still reeling from another unusual accident where a lorry reportedly lost its brakes and crashed onto the roof of a hardware store. The driver died at the scene while several others escaped with minor injuries, highlighting yet another reminder of the dangers drivers face on Kenyan roads.
For the Kagoni family, the pain is immeasurable. Their beloved son, brother, and hardworking provider left home for work, as he had done countless times before, but never returned. As they move forward with funeral arrangements, they continue to call for thorough investigations to prevent such tragedies from recurring and to honor the memory of a man whose life ended far too soon.
