Falling Tree Kills Woman in Murang’a

A falling tree hit and killed a 62-year-old woman in Kakuzi forest, Murang’a County.

Police said the incident happened on Wednesday April 3 as the deceased identified as Agnes Njeri Mwaniki and her nieces went to collect firewood from the forest.

Witnesses said as they collected the firewood, some men were felling trees using a power saw. And in the process, a tree that had been cut fell towards the direction the women were collecting the firewood hitting one of them.

She sustained head injuries and was rushed to Makuyu Health Center for treatment and referred to Kenol Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. The body was moved to General Kago Funeral Home awaiting postmortem. Police said they are investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, a casual labourer died after falling from the second floor of a building under construction in Murang’a.

The incident happened in Karaha village, police said. Police said the casual labourer identified as Nelson Rurira Irungu, 30 slipped and fell from the second floor of the house under construction after missing a step.

He was rushed to the Murang’a Level Five Hospital where he succumbed to injuries on the ribs. The body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy and probe.

Such incidents at construction sites are on the rise amid calls on the contractors to put in place measures to address the trend.

Police say up to three cases are reported weekly which is alarming.

Multi-agency teams are investigating such past incidents with nil action on the contractors. The investigators are drawn from police, county governments and National Construction Authority (NCA).