TikTok sensation and politician Musembi Nthenge has opened up about the tragic loss of nine family members in a road accident that occurred in 1978.

Nthenge shared that his mother had 13 children, but two had died earlier from measles before the advent of vaccines. The 1978 accident claimed the lives of his mother, four brothers, and four sisters all at once, leaving him with only one brother and one sister.

“My mother had 13 children, and I lost four brothers and four sisters together with my mom on the same day through a road accident in 1978. The accident was bad; I had to come from the States. I don’t have brothers and sisters, but I remain with one brother and one sister. What if my father did not have many children?” he said.

He recalled the devastating impact the accident had on his family, noting that every year on November 9, the date of the tragedy, they gather to pray for their departed loved ones.

“We were 13, but two had died of measles before the advent of vaccines, and 8 died in the accident. Every November 9, which is when the accident happened, we pray for them,” he added.

How the accident occurred

The accident occurred in Nairobi when his father, who was a Member of Parliament at the time, was driving the family in his pickup truck. His brothers and sisters were seated at the back of the vehicle, while his father, mother, and little brother sat in the front.

A lorry hit the vehicle, killing all but his father, who survived despite sustaining serious injuries, and one brother, who was also spared.

His sister, who is alive today, was not in the vehicle during the accident. All the others died on the spot, except for one sister who passed away the following day.

“My father had a pickup. He was the only one with it. At that time, he was an MP. He was driving. My brothers and sisters were at the back. He and my mother were seated in front, with him driving with our little brother seated between them; a lorry knocked them down, and they all died, but my father survived, and one brother and my sister, who is alive to date, were not on board. They all died on the spot, but one of my sisters died the following day,” Musembi stated.

Nthenge added that his father, who was admitted to the ICU, could not attend the burial of his wife and children. The tragedy, which claimed most of his family, remains one of the most painful memories of his life.