Memorial held for 14 family members who died in grisly Kikopey road accident

Hundreds of mourners gathered at Gacharage Grounds in Kandara Constituency, Murang’a County, on Saturday, October 4, 2025, to pay their final respects to fourteen family members who perished in the tragic Kikopey road accident along the Nakuru–Nairobi highway.

The emotional memorial service drew family, friends, and residents from across Murang’a who came together to mourn the devastating loss that had left an entire community in deep sorrow.

Also Watch: Kang’ata Mourns 13 Murang’a Residents Killed in Nakuru Highway Crash

Murang’a County Governor Irungu Kang’ata and aspiring Woman Representative Liz Mbugua were among the leaders who attended the solemn event.

The day began with a heart-wrenching procession as fourteen hearses, each carrying a casket of the victims, left Githumu Funeral Home in a slow convoy towards Gacharage Grounds.

Along the route, residents lined the road, waving white handkerchiefs and whispering prayers as the vehicles passed, a sight that captured the collective grief gripping the region.

At the memorial, the fourteen caskets were neatly lined up under white tents as sombre hymns filled the air.

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Emotional tributes were read by relatives, while others broke down in tears as memories of the departed were shared. Songs of comfort were performed by local choirs, and clergy members led prayers, urging the bereaved to find strength amid the unimaginable tragedy.

The bodies were later taken back to the mortuary after the service as burial plans continue to be coordinated by the family.

The fourteen were among sixteen people who lost their lives in the horrific crash that occurred on Sunday, September 28, 2025, near Kikopey in Gilgil.

The accident involved a fourteen-passenger matatu and a trailer, which collided head-on along the busy Nakuru–Nairobi highway. According to Nakuru County Police Commander Emmanuel Opuru, thirteen passengers died on the spot while three others sustained severe injuries.

The trailer driver, speaking to a local TV station on Monday, September 29, 2025, recounted the horrifying moments before the crash, saying the matatu had been overtaking another vehicle when it veered into his lane.

Despite his attempts to sound the horn and brake, the collision was unavoidable. He described the incident as happening in a split second, noting that the matatu was travelling at high speed.

“I was driving the trailer when I noticed a matatu approaching very close. I sounded the horn and tried to brake, but the matatu was moving too fast and collided with my trailer,” he shared.

Among the victims was a family travelling from Nairobi to Nakuru for a function. One of the relatives, Stephen Gicharu, lost his wife and one of his children in the crash, while another child survived but remains hospitalised with serious injuries.