Sachangwan Scars: Oil Tanker Fire Tragedy Victim Narrates Being Abandoned by Wife after Accident

• Over 16 years ago, Solomon Malel had a young family, but today he lives a lonely life at his home in Kabianga, Sachangwan in Molo sub-county
• Malel, 43, is among hundreds of locals who survived the infamous Sachangwan oil tanker fire tragedy that killed over 130 Kenyans
• He shared vivid memories of the fateful day that turned his life upside down and left him with scars that might never be erased

Nakuru: For the past 16 years, Solomon Malel has lived alone at his home in Kabianga, Sachangwan, Molo sub-county.

Before the lonely life he lives today, Malel, 43, had a loving family; sadly, his wife and three children abandoned him when he needed them most, weeks after the infamous 2009 Sachangwan oil tanker fire tragedy that killed more than 130 Kenyans.

He was among the hundreds who survived, but with burns whose scars are still visible on his body.

How Sachangwan oil tanker tragedy happened

Malel recalled the fateful day that turned his life upside down. He had just arrived home from his casual job in a nearby farm when he was told a tanker had overturned along the Eldoret-Nakuru Highway, not far from where he lives.

“It was around 3pm, and so many people were rushing to the scene to get a share of the fuel. They were there for almost three hours,” he recalled.

But what the locals thought was a blessing in disguise turned into a tragedy that the country will never forget. Malel says he heard someone shout ‘fire’ and the whole place was engulfed in fire within no time.

“I felt dizzy due to the fuel effect and fell aside, but I tried to crawl away from the scene. Some moments later, I regained consciousness and ran towards a nearby school, and that is when I realised my body had fire burns,” he said.

Although he was lucky to be alive, Malel had suffered burns in the hands, neck, back and legs. He was later admitted to the Nakuru Provincial General Hospital for three months, but by the time he was being discharged, his wife and children were gone.

It came as a shock to him as the wife had visited him in the hospital severally times.

“I lost my family because of this incident. It just turned my life upside down. Although my children sometimes come to visit me, my wife went away for good,” Malel painfully revealed.

Sachangwan oil tanker fire tragedy scars haunt survivors

The scars he got from the Sachangwan oil tanker fire tragedy continue to haunt him to date. He said during rainy seasons, he is forced to use oil to stretch his skin, which often becomes stiff.

To add salt to the wound, he has faced isolation and ridicule from society because of the scars.

“It hurts a lot to see how we get treated as victims of the tragedy,” Malel said.

While many died and others live with the scars from the tragedy, some were lucky to survive without any burns, and Mike Rotich is among them.

Rotich recalled rushing to the accident scene with friends and managing to walk away with several containers full of the spilt fuel.

“We got the fuel without any hitch because we were among the first to arrive at the scene. We dropped what he had managed to get at home, but when we turned back to get another round, we saw a huge flame,” he recalled, noting that it was a horrific scene.

Survivors of the tragedy have on numerous occasions unsuccessfully tried to set up a group that would help them remain inspired and move on in life. Both Malel and Rotich admit that while many have healed physically, they are still struggling emotionally and socially.

Rachel Maru, a former MCA and accident responder in the area, said that the families whose members were involved in the accident have been suffering silently, as most of them remain with injuries that can’t allow their limbs to function.

“Most of the homesteads in the area are struggling to rebuild their lives. Some lost their parents, and others even their children. Most children were still very young and they had grown without their family, only to get the scaring details of the accident,” Maru said.

After the accident, the then president, the late Mwai Kibaki, pledged to set up a trauma hospital near the area to help respond to such incidents, only for the project to be moved to Nakuru. It has since stalled.

What remains of the accident is a memorial site that the government constructed as a mass grave where those who were burnt beyond recognition were buried, and the tormenting scars on the bodies of those who survived.

Kenyans scramble for free fuel after tanker overturns

Recently, TUKO.co.ke reported that residents living along the Eldoret-Webuye Highway scrambled for free fuel after an oil tanker overturned.

Armed with jerrycans, the locals flocked to the accident scene to siphon fuel from the lorry, oblivious of the danger they were putting themselves in.

Adults were pictured carrying their loot in large containers while children roamed around with bottles full of the fuel.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke