Several people feared dead in matatu-lorry crash on Nakuru–Nairobi Highway
Several people are feared dead and others critically injured after a matatu they were travelling in rammed into a lorry at the Elementaita area of Nakuru – Nairobi highway.
The accident happened on Sunday, September 28, 2025. According to Nakuru County Police Commander Emmanuel Opuru, they were in a fourteen-passenger vehicle headed to Nakuru when it collided head-on with a semi-trailer truck.
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He said that they had hired the matatu from Nairobi to head for a family function.
The police have launched an investigation to establish more details on the deadly accident as the injured rushed to Gilgil hospital emergency unit to receive treatment.
Meanwhile, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has sent his condolence message to the victims of the accidents.
Ambulance crash
The tragedy comes just a day after six people were killed when a St. Mary’s Elementaita ambulance crashed near Kimende on the same highway. Among those who died in that accident were a patient, her husband, two relatives, a nurse, and the driver.
The Nakuru–Nairobi Highway, part of the Northern Corridor, remains one of Kenya’s deadliest roads.
This comes even as the government focuses on expanding major highways and building footbridges as part of an initiative to tackle road carnage.
According to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Nakuru County records some of the highest fatalities annually, with black spots such as Gilgil, Kinungi, Salgaa and Sachangwan accounting for repeated deadly crashes.
Experts have long cited reckless driving, speeding, fatigue and poorly maintained vehicles as major contributors to accidents on the stretch.
NTSA data shows more than 4,000 people were killed in road accidents across the country last year, with nearly 10 per cent of the deaths occurring along this highway alone.
Police said investigations into the Elementaita crash are underway to establish the cause, as fresh calls mount for stricter enforcement of traffic rules and urgent measures to curb the rising toll of road carnage.
