A driver and a passenger were trapped under a collapsed billboard along Ngong Road on Sunday morning, January 25.
In a statement by Nairobi County Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service, Geoffrey Mosiria, the incident occurred at approximately 2:00 a.m. when he came across the road accident involving the fallen billboard.
According to Mosiria, upon arrival at the scene, he was shocked to find that instead of helping the trapped victims or calling for emergency services, a group of individuals was cutting and stealing metallic parts from the collapsed billboard.
"Upon noticing my presence, they fled the scene on a motorbike. I immediately activated the County Emergency Response Team to clear the road and allow motorists to pass," Mosiria stated.
The Traffic Police responded swiftly to the emergency call, and an ambulance was dispatched to evacuate the victims, who were later confirmed to be a taxi driver and a passenger.
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However, the county official raised alarm over a worrying pattern of similar incidents across the capital, particularly at night.
Mosiria noted that beyond this particular billboard accident, there is a disturbing trend of road accidents that predominantly occur at night across Nairobi. These incidents are most frequent between Wednesday and Saturday nights and are commonly reported around major roundabouts and key corridors.
High-risk areas identified include Nyayo Stadium Roundabout, Nyayo House Roundabout, the former Globe Roundabout area, the Southern Bypass, and other major roundabouts within the city.
The chief officer revealed a troubling observation: in many of these cases, the first people to arrive at accident scenes are not ambulances or trained emergency responders, but breakdown and towing operators who appear to be strategically positioned.
"There are growing reports that victims are robbed of their valuables before any rescue efforts are initiated. Only after this do the same individuals alert the police, who then call for ambulances," Mosiria disclosed.
The official suggested that the repetition points to the possible involvement of organized criminal cartels deliberately exploiting or even engineering nighttime accidents, particularly around roundabouts and major bypasses, for financial gain.
Mosiria has called upon the National Police Service and all relevant investigative agencies to urgently probe these incidents, monitor high-risk areas, and, where necessary, set up operations to dismantle any criminal networks involved in these activities.
