Major road accident in Kenya: 22 killed, 6 injured in head-on collision between bus and truck

October 25, 2026

Nairobi: A major road accident occurred in southeastern Kenya on Sunday morning. At least 22 people were killed and six others injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. The injured have been hospitalized.

Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif confirmed the accident. According to him, the accident occurred around 7:45 a.m. in the Kanga area. The accident involved a tipper truck and a bus carrying 45 passengers.

Bus lost control while overtaking

According to a report by Xinhua news agency, the bus was traveling from Nairobi to Mombasa. The driver tried to overtake several vehicles, but the bus lost control. The bus then skidded off the road and collided with an oncoming truck.

“Unfortunately, a total of 22 passengers in both vehicles have been confirmed dead, while six others were hospitalized with injuries,” County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalifa said by phone.

The impact of the collision was so severe that traffic on this major transport route was temporarily disrupted. Emergency rescue teams arrived at the scene after receiving information about the accident. A crowd of people also gathered at the scene.

According to reports, the passengers on the bus were returning from a funeral when the accident occurred.

Fatal accidents have occurred on this highway before

The Nairobi-Mombasa highway has seen several serious road accidents in recent weeks. About two weeks ago, a multi-vehicle collision on the same route claimed the lives of 17 people. The spate of accidents has raised concerns about road safety.

The latest accident comes as Kenya’s National Police Service and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) are conducting a nationwide campaign to raise awareness among road users ahead of the festive season in December.

According to the NTSA, despite continued efforts by the government and private sector to improve road safety, approximately 4,000 people die in road accidents in Kenya each year.

Minibus also fell into a ditch in August, killing 7

Earlier in August, a minibus lost control and fell into a ditch in the Maumba area in eastern Kenya. At least seven people were killed and 28 others injured.

According to police and local residents, the accident occurred on the Kalamba-Kalembwani dirt road. Police said the minibus was being driven by an unknown driver, and the total number of passengers on board was not known.

The vehicle skidded off the road and fell approximately 500 meters down a steep slope. Six men and one woman died on the spot in the accident.