At least 24 people lost their lives and another 24 sustained injuries during a Sunday morning head-on collision between a bus and a truck along Kenya’s major transit corridor connecting Nairobi to Mombasa.
The bus passengers were returning to Mombasa after traveling to western Kenya for the funeral of their church pastor. According to authorities, the fatal crash was caused by improper overtaking.
Reverend Spencier Mdave, who was riding on the bus during the collision, shared his account of the incident:
“Those of us who witnessed the ordeal say that the trailer tried to overtake our bus only to meet on-coming traffic and tried to abort the overtake. That is when they lost control. Those who got severely injured are the people who sat the back of the bus. Those of us who were sat in front are a bit better and have even been discharged. Like me, I only got a few bruises and I have been here since the accident but I feel no pain on my body.”
This latest disaster occurred just three weeks after a separate crash on the same highway claimed 17 lives. In response to the high frequency of incidents, transport safety officials are urging authorities to declare road accidents a national disaster, highlighting that approximately 20,000 crashes take more than 5,000 lives annually across the country. Poor road conditions and speeding have frequently been identified as key factors behind road incidents in Kenya.
President William Ruto expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and mandated a comprehensive inspection of all public service vehicles to enforce compliance and help eliminate traffic fatalities. He also urged drivers “to exercise utmost caution and observe traffic rules to safeguard lives.”
