In a devastating road accident in Machakos County during the 1980s (reports vary slightly on the exact year, but around the late 1970s to early 1980s), Nthenge survived a tragic crash that claimed the lives of his wife of 25 years and nine of their children. The family was traveling together when the vehicle they were in was involved in a fatal collision, wiping out almost his entire immediate family in one blow.
Despite the immense personal loss, George Nthenge did not attend the burial of his wife and children. According to accounts shared in Kenyan media and online discussions, he was reportedly too overwhelmed by grief and shock to face the funeral proceedings. Some sources suggest he was hospitalized or in deep emotional distress, unable to participate in the mourning and burial rites. This heartbreaking event marked a dark chapter in his life, after which he largely retreated from public life.
The once-vibrant family of twelve set out on a voyage that would permanently destroy their life on that tragic day in 1978. They were excited as they climbed into their roomy Peugeot 504 station waggon with a close family member. They had no idea that disaster was waiting around the corner.
The father and driver, Nthenge, came up to the foreboding Athi River Bridge on the Nairobi-Mombasa road. He took the deadly choice to pass a lorry without thinking about the dangerous route that lay ahead or the approaching darkness that awaited them.
Another truck appeared, blazing lights hurling towards them as if the cosmos was against them. Nthenge desperately drove to the right in the hopes of avoiding the approaching crash, but panic shot through his veins. However, destiny had other ideas.
The two cars collided with an unbelievable force in that dramatic moment, changing their lives forever. Their car was practically crushed from the force of the crash, and the front axle of the lorry was ruthlessly destroyed.
In the space of a single glance, eight defenceless lives were brutally taken. The ruthless catastrophe hushed Nthenge’s four girls and four sons, who had formerly been full of life and dreams. His wife’s life faded away as rescuers struggled mightily to extricate her from the debris, leaving an unfillable hole in their wake.
Amidst the destruction and carnage, Nthenge’s son’s amazing survival—despite his shattered arm—brought a ray of hope. However, this meagre bit of luck was insufficient to lessen the intense sorrow that consumed their shattered life.
Misfortune persistently loomed large over their existence, since Nthenge’s niece—once lively and full of promise—was confined to a wheelchair as a result of the accident’s aftermath. She also passed away from the unrelenting problems that afflicted her six years later, leaving a legacy of suffering.
Their lives were forever scarred by the repercussions of that terrible day, which left them feeling hopeless and bereaved. Their once-vibrant family was reduced to a mere ghost of its former self after such a great catastrophe, plagued by the cruel hand fate had handed them for eternity.