At least 24 people have been killed and several others injured after a bus carrying 45 passengers collided head-on with a truck at Kanga near Mtito Andei in Makueni County on Sunday morning.
Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif confirmed the fatalities, saying the accident occurred at around 7:45am along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
According to a preliminary police report, the bus belonging to Power of the Word Church International was heading towards Mombasa when its driver reportedly attempted to overtake several vehicles.
The driver is said to have lost control of the bus, which veered to the right and skidded into the path of an oncoming tipper truck travelling towards Nairobi.
The impact ripped off a section of the bus’s roof, leaving several passengers dead and others seriously injured.
“The driver of the Word Church International attempted to overtake several vehicles. While overtaking, the bus swayed off the road to the right and collided head-on with the truck, which was also avoiding the collision,” Khalif said.
The bus, registration number KCN 373N, collided with a FAW tipper truck, registration number KDB 437W/ZG504, approximately 10 kilometres from Mtito Andei.
The passengers were reportedly returning from a burial ceremony when tragedy struck.
An initial police report from Mtito Andei Traffic Base indicated that 15 bodies had been recovered from the scene by 10am. The death toll was subsequently revised upwards to 22 as authorities established the full extent of the casualties.
The injured were rushed to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital and Makindu Hospital for emergency treatment.
Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital officials confirmed that medical teams were attending to survivors, some of whom had sustained serious injuries.
“We are compiling a list of casualties. Some died while undergoing treatment,” hospital official Dr Kevin Wamalwa said.
Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr also expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
“Our condolences to the families of the deceased,” the governor said, confirming that survivors were receiving medical attention.
The accident has renewed concerns over road safety along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, one of Kenya’s busiest transport corridors.
It comes barely three weeks after another collision along the same highway claimed 17 lives on October 3.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Sunday’s crash, including the reported overtaking manoeuvre, as families await further information about their loved ones.
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