AT least nine people lost their lives in a tragic road accident that occurred on Sunday night at Karai area in Naivasha along the busy Nairobi–Nakuru highway, underscoring the growing toll of deadly crashes on Kenyan roads.
Police said the accident happened on Monday, January 5, at around 2am, when a Greenline bus collided with a 14-seater matatu belonging to Nanyuki Cabs Sacco.
The impact was fatal, with two minors among those who died. Survivors recounted that the bus was overtaking another vehicle when it rammed head-on into the oncoming matatu.
Seven people, including the two minors, died on the spot, while two others succumbed to their injuries after being rushed to hospital.
About 40 passengers who sustained injuries were taken to Naivasha District Hospital for treatment, some of them in critical condition.
The Karai crash pushed the number of people killed in road accidents between Sunday and Monday dawn to 18, according to police records.
Authorities said the victims from the various incidents included ten passengers, three pedestrians, three drivers, a rider and a pedal cyclist.
At least 59 other people were seriously injured during the same period.
The injured included 42 passengers, eight riders, four drivers, three passengers and a pedestrian.
All were rushed to different hospitals, where they remain admitted.
The Monday dawn accident caused a massive traffic snarl-up on the highway, one of the country’s busiest transport corridors, before police officers arrived to clear the wreckage and restore the flow of vehicles.
Police have described the recent spate of accidents as alarming, noting that more than 50 people have been killed in separate crashes across the country in the past five days.
The Karai tragedy came just days after another fatal crash along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway.
Six people were killed at Kikopey area in Gilgil after a trailer rammed into a matatu. Eyewitnesses said the truck suffered brake failure, leading to the deadly collision.
Barely days earlier, on Friday, January 2, six passengers were killed in yet another road accident along Mombasa Road at Katumani near Konza City.
In that incident, a bus collided with a matatu, killing six passengers on the spot and leaving seven others critically injured.
Transport and safety officials say reckless overtaking, speeding and drunk driving remain among the leading causes of road accidents in the country, continuing to claim lives despite sustained public safety campaigns by the National Transport and Safety Authority.
Mechanical failures linked to poor vehicle maintenance, including worn tyres and faulty braking systems, have also been identified as major contributors to the rising number of crashes.
In addition to driver negligence, poor road conditions such as potholes, confusing signage and inadequate lighting have made travel increasingly hazardous, particularly at night.
As the death toll continues to rise, the latest accidents have renewed calls for stricter enforcement of traffic laws and greater vigilance from motorists to prevent further loss of life.
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