Several people are feared dead after an early morning accident between a matatu and a lorry on Sunday, November 23.
The accident, which happened near the famous Machakos Junction, occurred when the matatu collided head-on with the lorry, killing several passengers on the spot.
Images of the wreckage painted a harrowing picture, as the matatu was completely mangled on the front side. From the impact, the matatu rolled over to one side, spewing luggage, including farm produce, on the busy road.
The lorry involved in the accident was a concrete-mixer truck and was also considerably damaged on the front side from the impact. It remains unclear whether the driver survived.
Area locals rushed to the scene moments after the accident and helped lift the overturned matatu back onto its wheels. Rescue efforts are still ongoing at the time of publication of this article.
Preliminary reports indicate that the truck lost control before veering into the matatu's lane for a head-on collision. The PSV was coming from Nairobi, heading to Machakos.
Worryingly, this was the second accident taking place in the Ukambani region in less than 72 hours, after another fatal crash on Saturday saw six people, including four KCSE candidates, lose their lives around the Mbooni area of Makueni County.
This was after the 14-seater they were travelling in was hit by a lorry, which lost control and rammed into the stationary PSV.
Witnesses said that the lorry veered off the recently tarmacked road at Ngoluni Junction, hitting a Matatu that was picking up passengers heading to Machakos and Nairobi.
The two latest incidents added to a worrying stat from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), which recorded 376 driver fatalities IN 2025 alone. Passenger deaths in 2025 stood at 681.
Nairobi County continues to lead in road crash fatalities, reporting 447 deaths between January 1 and October 31, 2025. The capital is followed by Kiambu County with 387 cases and Nakuru with 318 fatalities.
Machakos (173), Murang'a (148) and Kisumu (137) rounded off the top six counties with the most road fatalities in the country.
To curb rising fatalities during the upcoming festive season, NTSA also announced an elaborate plan, which will mainly hinge on a close collaboration with the National Police Service to implement multi-agency prevention strategies.
