Nairobi — A 47-year-old telecommunications engineer died on Tuesday night in a freak accident when his car rammed an elephant at Nkunga forest on the Meru-Nanyuki road.
Mr Dalton Mwachenga, who was travelling from Uganda, hit the elephant that then fell on his car.
Imenti North police boss Joshua Lutukai said the incident occurred around 1am.
Highway officers, who were manning a roadblock near the forest, rushed to the scene but could not rescue the man as there was a herd of about 50 elephants hovering around the scene.
Mr Lutukai said there were many accidents in the area because of overgrown shrubs that reduced visibility on the 6km stretch.
He also said that there were no warning signs for motorists that they were driving through a forest.
„The accident could have been avoided if the road had markings indicating it is passing through a forested area,“ he said.
Mr Lutukai said his department would write to the Ministry of Roads to have the necessary markings put up.
Meanwhile, another car overturned as its driver evaded an elephant crossing the road.
Mr Lutukai said the vehicle occupants were unhurt. Isiolo Kenya Wildlife Service warden Thomas Mailu blamed the accidents on speeding drivers.
„It is clear the vehicle was speeding. It’s rare to see an elephant die after being knocked down,“ he said and asked drivers to be careful while passing through the forest.
Back to their usual habitat
Mr Mailu said the forest had some 300 elephants but the number could rise to more than 500 due to migration from other areas within Mt Kenya region.
He said the accident could have been caused by elephants going back to their usual habitat following the ongoing rains.
„When it rains, migratory elephants go back to their habitats and sometimes move in large groups,“ the game warden said.
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201102170084.html