Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has announced plans to intensify road safety enforcement and strengthen driver training following a road accident at Kanga near Mtito Andei that killed 23 people.
CS Chirchir said the government would pursue coordinated measures to curb road crashes, including targeting dangerous overtaking, speeding and other traffic violations.
The accident occurred at about 7.45 am on Sunday, October 25, along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, involving a passenger bus belonging to Power of the Word Church International, Mombasa, and a commercial cement tipper truck.
Preliminary reports indicate that improper overtaking may have contributed to the head-on collision, although investigations are ongoing to establish the exact cause.
“The scale of the loss demands decisive, coordinated and sustained action. The Ministry is therefore pursuing far-reaching measures to address the increasing carnage on our roads,” Chirchir said in a statement.
The injured were taken to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital and Kambu Level 4 Hospital for treatment.
The Cabinet Secretary said the government would focus on three key areas: improving road safety infrastructure, strengthening traffic enforcement, and enhancing training and oversight of commercial and public service vehicle drivers.
“We will work closely with the relevant government institutions, Parliament, the Judiciary, the National Police Service, county governments and other stakeholders to strengthen road safety interventions and ensure accountability,” he said.
Under the infrastructure measures, the Ministry plans to strengthen the black spot management programme to identify high-risk road sections and carry out targeted engineering improvements.
Chirchir said enforcement would also be intensified against reckless overtaking, speeding and other traffic violations, alongside measures to promote responsible road-user behaviour.
The government will also pursue structured training and compliance measures to improve driver competence, discipline and adherence to safety requirements, particularly among commercial and public service vehicle operators.
The Ministry further plans to engage Parliament, the Senate and the Judiciary, as appropriate, on implementation challenges involving the Commercial Vehicle Regulations 2026, Vehicle Inspection Regulations 2026 and School Transport Regulations 2026.
Chirchir said the frameworks were critical to improving vehicle roadworthiness, driver accountability, fatigue management and the safe operation of commercial and public service vehicles.
“Given that the two vehicles involved in today's collision were commercial vehicles, one operated by a church and the other by a commercial enterprise, the importance of effective regulation, compliance and enforcement cannot be overstated,” he said.
The crash occurred less than a month after 17 people died in another road accident at Salama, Mtito Andei, on October 3.
Chirchir said the repeated accidents underscored the urgency of addressing road safety, warning that crashes continued to claim lives, destroy families, strain the health system and undermine economic productivity.
“We cannot continue treating road safety as business as usual. The scale of the loss demands decisive, coordinated and sustained action,” he said.
He said the government would bring together road agencies, law enforcement, the health sector, county governments and other stakeholders under a coordinated national approach with clear responsibilities, measurable targets and stronger accountability.
The Cabinet Secretary extended condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
He also commended emergency responders, medical personnel and security officers involved in rescue and treatment efforts.
