By Robert Mutuku
Businessman Stephen Ngei, the Chairman of Makindu Motors and owner of the Sky Go Africa franchise, has died alongside his wife in a grisly road accident along the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway near Kiboko on Saturday.
The couple died on the spot when the double-cabin pickup they were travelling in collided with a truck in an accident that occurred at a section of the highway near Kiboko, according to police reports from Mashuru Police Station.
Ngei, a prominent entrepreneur whose influence in the motorcycle industry extended across the African continent, was reportedly driving from his home in Makindu to his farm in Emali when tragedy struck.
Police investigations indicate that Ngei was overtaking a truck when he encountered an oncoming lorry travelling towards Mombasa from Nairobi.
In an apparent attempt to avoid a head-on collision, the oncoming truck driver reportedly swerved and yielded part of the roadway.
However, Ngei also veered off course, crashing into the truck’s front . The impact caused the vehicle to scrape along the left side of the lorry up to its rear axle, crushing the pickup and trapping its occupants.
Ngei and his wife Giannaphina Mumbua Ngei sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
A worker who was travelling with the couple survived the crash but suffered injuries. He was rushed to hospital for treatment.
The deaths have sent shockwaves through business circles in Ukambani and beyond, where Ngei was widely known for building one of Kenya’s most successful motor vehicle and motorcycle distribution enterprises.
Although he maintained a relatively low public profile despite his immense wealth, Ngei was credited with spearheading the assembly, marketing and expansion of the Sky Go motorcycle brand across several African countries.
Ngei also came to the limelight when conmen allegedly operating from the Office of the Deputy President fleeced him of millions of shillings after he supplied laptops. The matter has remained unresolved.
Under Ngei and his brother Kasanga, Makindu Motors grew into a major player in the transport and motorcycle sector, creating employment opportunities and supporting thousands of traders and riders who depended on motorcycles for their livelihoods.
Residents, business associates and leaders from the region described him as a humble businessman whose success story inspired many young entrepreneurs.
By the time of going to press police were piecing together Police the circumstances surrounding the accident as the bodies of the deceased await postmortem examinations.
The tragic loss of Ngei and his wife is blow to a remarkable entrepreneurial journey that transformed a local business venture into a continental brand, leaving behind a legacy deeply woven into the transport sector across East Africa.
The couple are succeeded by three children, among them a pilot and a medical doctor.
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