At least eight people died on Friday morning in a road accident after a 14-seater matatu collided with a truck along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway in Salama, Makueni County.
The matatu owned by Naekana Sacco, was traveling from Loitoktok to Nairobi and collided with a truck heading to Mombasa at the Mlima Kiu area in Makueni.
The impact resulted in eight people losing their lives on the spot, while those who sustained injuries were taken to Kilungu Hospital.
Makueni Police Commander Barbanas Ng’eno confirmed the incident and said that investigations were launched to determine the cause of the accident. Further, the wreckage of the vehicles was towed to Salama Police Station.
The accident brings the total number of people who lost their lives in the past 24 hours to 20, following an accident in Voi, Taita Taveta County involving a passenger shuttle and a trailer.
The shuttle collided with the trailer in the Ikanga area of Voi, Taita Taveta County resulting in twelve losses.
Voi OCPD Bernstein Shari confirmed the incident and said that the shuttle, en route from Nairobi to Mombasa, was unable to avoid the trailer traveling in the opposite direction.
He added that four passengers were rescued from the incident and rushed to Moi Referral Hospital in Voi.
According to the latest data released by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), a total of 1,756 road accident fatalities were reported between January 1, 2023, and May 2023.
This marked an increase from the previous year, where 1,679 fatalities were reported during the corresponding period.
NTSA disclosed that the primary cause of accidents in the country was unfit drivers.
The Authority has thus been actively engaging in awareness campaigns aimed at equipping drivers with the necessary information to operate safely on the roads.
