News 
Monday, April 22, 2002 

Five people died while 30 others were injured when the lorry they were travelling in overturned near Wajir Town.

The injured were flown to Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, for treatment in two planes hired by Wajir East MP Mohamed Abdi Mohamud.

Earlier efforts to get the Flying Doctors' Service to evacuate the injured had failed when those involved in the rescue mission could not raise Sh375,000 needed to finance the mission. 

Three men and a woman died while undergoing treatment at Wajir while the fifth died at KNH upon admission on Saturday night.

The dead were identified as Hassan Yusuf, Halima Omar Dakat, Mohammed Mohamud Dugo, Omar Hassan Salat and Abdi Dahir. 

Wajir medical officer of health, Dr Mwandena Arthins, said majority of the injured, including a 12-year-old girl, suffered head and chest injuries.

Yesterday, Dr Arthins said 12 victims were admitted to the district hospital. Only two victims had been discharged.

District Commissioner Ezekiel Machogu said the accident occurred a kilometre from Wajir Town along the Mandera-Wajir road on Friday evening. 

Most of the victims had boarded the lorry ferrying maize and sugar to Wajir Town at Kotulo. 

Mr Machogu said the lorry overturned after its steering wheel broke. He added that the local hospital could not manage the critically injured and sought the intervention of the Flying Doctors' Service in vain.

"We were so desperate. We could not raise Sh375,000 initially asked for by the team and it was such a relief when the Assistant Minister (Mr Abdi) came to our rescue," the DC told Nation by telephone.

Mr Abdi, an Assistant Minister for Trade and Industry, paid Sh300,000 for the two planes – one moved six patients on Saturday afternoon and another airlifted six others yesterday morning.