Tragedy struck early Tuesday, May 13 morning at Malili on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway when a matatu collided head-on with a lorry, leaving two people dead and several others nursing serious injuries.
The ill-fated Naekana Sacco matatu was travelling from Taveta to Nairobi when the crash occurred. Witnesses report the driver made a desperate attempt to steer off the highway to avoid the oncoming lorry, but the maneuver failed. The impact tore through the matatu’s front, trapping several passengers.
“It was horrific. We heard a loud bang, and by the time we reached the scene, there was chaos. Some passengers were screaming for help, while others lay still,” said Patrick Musyoka, a resident who rushed to assist.
Police confirmed that two people died on the spot, while 12 others sustained serious injuries. The survivors were rushed to nearby health facilities, including Sultan Hamud Sub-County Hospital and Makindu Level 4 Hospital.
The crash happened along a notorious stretch of the highway that has claimed multiple lives in the past. In August 2018, eight people perished between Malili and Salama in a similar collision involving a matatu and a lorry.
“The Nairobi-Mombasa Highway has become a death trap. Urgent intervention is needed,” said Makueni County Police Commander Stephen Kihara. He urged public service vehicle operators to observe road safety and avoid night travel where possible.
Tuesday’s crash comes just days after another deadly accident in Nyeri County, where a matatu named ‘Upper Cut’, ferrying weekend revellers to Zaina Falls, overturned at Jua Kali in Tetu. One person died, and 22 others were injured in the incident, four of them critically.
With over 4,300 lives lost on Kenyan roads in 2024 alone—just shy of the 4,690 fatalities recorded in 2023—road carnage remains one of Kenya’s deadliest and most persistent tragedies. The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) cites reckless driving, over-speeding, poor roads and pedestrian negligence as primary causes.
“We cannot normalize this loss of life,” said NTSA spokesperson Jane Mwangi. “Until every road user—from drivers to pedestrians—prioritizes safety, these statistics will only get worse.”
As investigations into the Malili crash continue, the nation is left mourning yet more lives lost to a crisis that demands urgent and collective action.
