KIGALI - A Rwandan truck driver identified as Laurent Bizimungu was lynched by a mob in Kenya and later died November, 30 at Nyanza Provincial Hospital in the western Kenyan town of Kisumu.

According to eye witnesses, Bizimungu was critically beaten on Saturday, November 27 by a mob of passengers who were travelling in a bus belonging to Easy Coach Company owned by former Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi. He later died from the injuries sustained.

In an interview with The New Times, Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Kenya Bill Kayonga confirmed the incident describing it as "unfortunate”.

The incident took place at Ugunja about 50Kms to Kisumu on the Busia-Kisumu road, after a fuel tanker Reg. number RAA 292P driven by the deceased is said to have been involved in a minor accident which involved contact of side mirrors with the Easy Coach bus Reg. number KBL 643A.

"We got to know about it after his colleagues contacted us. He was involved in a minor accident with a bus and when he stopped, a mob of passengers descended on him and lynched him. He was taken to hospital but it was too late, he passed away,” Kayonga told The New Times.

"So what we did is to inform Kenyan Authorities and write to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also help the family to repatriate the body back home for burial. It is very unfortunate that sometimes people react angrily to small incidents and now one of our people has become a victim of mob justice,”

According to eye witnesses, there was neither death nor injury resulting from the collision.  The truck driver stopped after the incident to talk to his colleague- the bus driver, when the mob of passengers descended on him, beating him into a comma.

It is said that Bizimungu was rushed to Ugunja health centre and latter transferred to Kisumu Hospital where he died. 

In an interview, Tabura Sebirezi, the Managing Director of Ets Tabura, the transport company which owns the truck Bizimungu was driving, said that Bizimungu was hit on the head with a metallic bar by the driver of the bus before other passengers joined in.

"Police came in when it was too late, but even then, it took long to get him to hospital and we later got to know that the bus and the driver were later released without any action---it is a clear case of neglect.”

"When he got to hospital, it was too late. He died and what we did was to inform the authorities and repatriate the body. The body arrived on Wednesday and he was laid to rest on Thursday,” Sebirezi said.

The Rwandan envoy in Kenya promised to continue following up on the case. He urged Rwandan drivers to be cautious and always report incidents to the police to avoid being victims of mob justice.

Bizimungu, 49 was survived by 7 children.

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