Four people were confirmed dead and several others were injured when the vehicle they were travelling in lost control and overturned in Bumala, Busia County, on Friday, December 5.
According to reports, the accident occurred in the Wakhungu area of Nangina Ward in the Funyula constituency while the victims were travelling from Bumala town towards Port Victoria.
Samia Sub-County OCPD Richard Moracha confirmed the incident and said that the authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. He also urged motorists to exercise caution during the festive period.
Images obtained by Kenyans.co.ke show the vehicle mangled, with local residents coordinating rescue efforts at the scene with the help of local authorities.
According to the OCPD, the driver, a woman, and two men are among those who perished. The injured were rushed to Nangina Mission Hospital for treatment.
Preliminary reports suggest that the vehicle experienced a burst front tyre, causing the driver to lose control.
However, the police have stated that an investigation is ongoing to establish the exact sequence of events and determine any contributing factors that may have resulted in the incident.
The incident comes at a time when the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and the National Police Service (NPS) have intensified road patrols and compliance checks on major highways as a majority of the public travels home for the holidays.
Among the measures the NTSA is undertaking is subjecting drivers who were flagged through enforcement initiatives and the NTSA Intelligent Road Safety Management System (IRSMS) to mandatory re-testing to confirm their competency on the road.
Launched in 2023, the IRSMS is central to NTSA's festive season strategy since it is a digital platform which monitors vehicles, including PSVs and commercial fleets.
The system tracks speed, the driver's behaviour, braking patterns and route compliance. Afterwards, it sends alerts when violations such as reckless overtaking and speeding occur.
Since the system also analyses violations and generates alerts for those who breach safety standards, the drivers can be targeted by the NTSA for retraining to improve overall road safety.
