Video: 22 slain while returning from funeral in bus-truck crash on Kenya’s Nairobi-Mombasa highway
Abdullateef Fowewe
At least 22 people were killed and several others injured early Sunday when a passenger bus collided head-on with a truck at the Kanga area near Mtito Andei along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, one of Kenya’s busiest transport corridors.
Video: 22 slain while returning from funeral in bus-truck crash on Kenya’s Nairobi-Mombasa highway
The crash reportedly occurred around 7–7:45 a.m. The bus, belonging to Power of the Word Church International and carrying about 45 passengers returning from a funeral in western Kenya, was heading toward Mombasa when it struck the truck.
Officials said 18 people died at the scene and four more later succumbed to injuries at Mtito Andei Sub-County Referral Hospital.
Several survivours were treated there or referred to other facilities.
Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif confirmed the death toll and said investigations had begun.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) stated that preliminary reports point to a head-on collision, with improper overtaking possibly contributing to the crash.
Its investigation team is working with police to determine the full circumstances.
The Nairobi-Mombasa highway has long been regarded as high-risk.
Sections of the route, including areas near Salama and Mtito Andei, are officially designated accident black spots due to factors such as heavy truck traffic, long slopes, sharp bends, and risky overtaking.
Just three weeks earlier, on October 3, a multi-vehicle crash at Mlima Kiu in Salama on the same highway killed 17 people, mostly Catholic pilgrims travelling in a matatu.
That incident also involved alleged improper overtaking by a truck.
Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority has identified more than 270 black spots nationwide, with nearly 200 concentrated along the Mombasa-Malaba Northern Corridor that includes the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
The country records roughly 4,000 road deaths annually, driven by a mix of infrastructure issues, driver behavior, vehicle condition, and speeding.
Authorities continue to push for dual-carriageway upgrades, better signage, and stricter enforcement, especially ahead of peak travel periods.
