A man who witnessed the accident that claimed the life of nominated Member of Parliament Denar Joseph Hamisi has given a detailed account of the desperate efforts to rescue the lawmaker moments after his vehicle crashed in Karen on Saturday morning.
The MP, who lived in the neighbourhood, was driving along the Miotoni–Nandi Road when his car hit a speed bump at high speed.
According to eyewitness Mathew Owire, the impact instantly caused the vehicle to lose control before rolling several times and slamming into a tree.
Owire, who works near the scene, said he saw the vehicle approaching shortly before the crash.
He told journalists that he immediately sensed danger because of the car’s speed and the bump ahead.
“It was around 6:23 am when I saw the car coming fast from the other side. It hit the bump hard,” he recalled.
“From the way it lifted, I knew it could either crash into the wall or roll.”
By the time he ran towards the road, the vehicle had already overturned and come to rest against a tree.
The wreckage, he said, was badly mangled, and it was clear that the impact had been severe. “When I reached the car, it had already rolled and hit the tree. The damage was bad.”
Seeing the MP motionless inside, Owire attempted to open the vehicle to free him.
He said removing Hamisi proved extremely difficult because part of the car had caved in, and the MP’s head was visibly injured and bleeding.
“When I got there, he was unconscious and bleeding heavily. We couldn’t talk to him. The door on one side couldn’t open, so getting him out was a struggle,” he said.
Despite the challenge, Owire managed to call the police while also alerting neighbours and nearby workers for help.
Officers arrived shortly afterward and assisted in removing the MP from the wreckage before rushing him to a nearby hospital. Doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Authorities later secured the scene, and the wrecked vehicle remained by the roadside as investigators began piecing together the events leading to the crash.
News of Hamisi’s death prompted widespread shock. Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula confirmed the tragedy in an official communication, describing it as a profound loss to Parliament and to the country. He remembered the MP as a dedicated legislator who had shown commitment to national unity and cultural development.
Hamisi, nominated to the National Assembly by the Amani National Congress (ANC) after the 2022 General Election, served in the Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture and the Select Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities.
His colleagues described him as calm, thoughtful and passionate about the issues he championed.
As investigations into the accident continue, residents in the Karen area say the speed bump where the crash occurred has long been a concern for motorists unfamiliar with the road’s layout.
For now, the community is grieving the sudden loss of a man who, according to those who knew him, carried his public responsibilities with quiet determination.