British man killed by president's convoy in Kenya hit-and-run

Anne Soy
BBC News, Nairobi
AFP Buses, motorbikes and pedestrians use Ngong Road in Nairobi, in 2022.AFP
Edgar Riches was hit on Nairobi's busy Ngong Road

A British man has been killed in a hit-and-run incident involving a vehicle in the motorcade of Kenyan President William Ruto.

The man, who has been named as 79-year-old Edgar Riches, died on Thursday after being struck in the accident on a main road in the capital, Nairobi.

Police detained a driver, who has since been released on bail.

They say he was driving a support vehicle that was travelling at the rear of President Ruto's official convoy.

According to the police, the president's detail had passed by the time the accident occurred.

Police spokesman Michael Muchiri told the BBC that Mr Riches had been visiting Kenya to see his sister and nephew who are residents of the country.

Kenya's police initially gave his name as Edgar Charles Frederick - using his middle names.

A post-mortem found he had suffered multiple trauma, including severe injuries to the chest and head.

He was a charity worker from Poole in Dorset, who had regularly raised money for projects Kenya.

The police said the driver, who failed to stop after the incident, would appear in court following an investigation.

There has been an uproar on social media following Thursday's incident.

While Kenyans are accustomed to roads being cleared for the presidential motorcade, this time around some have questioned why the convoy was so big and moving at such speed.

This not the first time a president's or deputy president's motorcade has killed or injured a pedestrian, and in a number of cases, members of the president's travelling party have died.

But some believe more attention is being paid to this latest case because the victim is a foreigner.

A spokesperson for the UK High Commission said officials were aware of the reports and were seeking more information.

Videos posted on social media show a man in blue jeans and a light-coloured shirt lying bleeding on the road outside a busy shopping area.

Other pictures show the victim covered in a checked shawl, known locally as a Maasai Shuka.

Mr Muchiri told the BBC the vehicle belonged to the regional administration and was providing support to the presidential detail.

President Ruto held events in the vicinity of the scene on Thursday as part of ongoing political engagements with the public in the capital.

AFP William Ruto strides out of an official diplomatic car, which has a small Kenyan flag on its bonnet.AFP
President Ruto, seen here in Germany last year, has led Kenya since 2022

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