Seven people were killed and eight others seriously injured in a road crash involving a trailer and two matatus along the Eldoret-Nakuru Road in Ainabkoi Sub-County, Uasin Gishu County.
The accident occurred at about 8.30pm on Thursday at the Mlima Punda area, police said.
The crash involved a Mercedes Actros trailer and two Toyota Hiace matatus. One of the matatus was identified as a Shuttle matatu, but no specific company or SACCO name was provided.
According to preliminary police investigations, the trailer was travelling from Nakuru towards Eldoret when its driver allegedly attempted to overtake while descending a hill, veering into the path of the two oncoming matatus.
The trailer collided head-on with both vehicles, leaving the driver of the Shuttle matatu and six of his passengers dead at the scene.
Eight other passengers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Burnt Forest Hospital for treatment.
Police said the identities of the deceased and the injured had not been released as efforts to notify their families continued.
The bodies were moved to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary in Eldoret pending identification and post-mortem examinations.
The wreckage was being towed to Tarakwa Police Station for inspection as traffic investigators continued to probe the cause of the crash.
The accident was among at least six reported on Thursday, leaving 17 people dead, police said.
The victims included eight passengers, four pedestrians, two pillion passengers, two riders and one driver. Police said the accidents also left 27 people seriously injured, including 14 passengers, 10 riders and two pillion passengers.
In a separate incident, two women were killed and a motorcycle rider seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash at Suneka Township along the Kisii–Migori Road in Kisii County.
Police said the crash occurred at about 3.50pm on Thursday when an unidentified motor vehicle travelling in the same direction as a motorcycle allegedly rammed it from behind before fleeing the scene.
The motorcycle was carrying two pillion passengers identified as Eunice Magoma Mbaka, 35, and Josephine Binsari Nyamwaro, 40.
The impact threw the passengers off the motorcycle, killing both women at the scene, while the rider sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital for treatment.
Police officers who visited the scene said neither the rider nor the two passengers was wearing a helmet or reflective jacket at the time of the crash.
The bodies of the deceased were moved to the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary pending post-mortem examinations, while the damaged motorcycle was towed to the police station for inspection.
Investigators have launched a manhunt for the driver of the unidentified vehicle, who fled after the collision. Police are appealing for information that could help trace the vehicle and its driver.
