Four friends met at a Nairobi West restaurant last Friday evening. They responded to a message in their WhatsApp group "Rich Gang" after several earlier postponements due to busy schedules.
Jackson Ingolo, Allan Mwenda, Erick Ochieng and Evans Kyalo had built a tight friendship over the years. Mwenda and Ingolo worked together at the National Oil Corporation of Kenya. Kyalo operated in real estate while Ochieng held a position as an experienced pilot.
The evening carried special weight. Ingolo had secured interest from a British investor keen on Kenyan real estate opportunities. The group spent hours brainstorming a joint proposal they believed could change their lives.
The meeting wrapped up shortly after 1am. They said their goodbyes optimistic about refining the plan in the coming days. Ingolo chose not to ride with the others because he lived in Imara Daima.
He handed Mwenda his laptop for safekeeping and took a taxi home. The remaining three left in one vehicle.
Within minutes the car veered off Mbagathi Road near the Riara University junction. It mounted a pedestrian footbridge and burst into flames in one of the most horrific crashes witnessed in the city in recent memory.
Only Ingolo survived the tragedy. He woke the next morning to numerous missed calls and discovered viral images of the burning car on social media.
He immediately recognised the vehicle. Ingolo rushed to City Mortuary but the intense fire had left the bodies burned beyond recognition, forcing reliance on DNA analysis for positive identification.
Investigators from Kilimani Police Station continue to piece together the sequence of events. Kilimani OCPD Patricia Yegon said teams are working diligently to establish the exact circumstances that led the vehicle to leave the road.
The friends had long treated their gatherings as family time. They combined laughter and shared meals with serious discussions about building a successful investment company together.
Families are now preparing burials. A joint memorial service for the three men is scheduled for Friday.
Ingolo remains devastated. He wrestles with grief and constant questions about the decisions made that night and what might have unfolded differently.
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