Embu road accident: 8 people killed in lorry–tuk tuk collision

Eight people have died while one sustained serious injuries in a grisly road accident involving a tuk-tuk and a lorry at Murubara, along the Mwea-Embu highway in Kirinyaga County.

The tuk-tuk occupants were on their way to a rice-planting job on Saturday morning, August 1, 2026, when the tragedy occurred.

The accident was confirmed by Mwea East Sub-County Police Commander Stephen Okal, who said the injured passenger is receiving treatment at Kimbimbi Hospital.

“Eight died while a passenger who was in the lorry sustained an injury and is receiving treatment at Kimbimbi Hospital,” Okal said.

According to eyewitnesses, the lorry was travelling from Mwea to Embu when the driver swerved to avoid potholes, veered off course, and collided head-on with the tuk-tuk, which was heading in the opposite direction.

“The lorry was trying to avoid potholes when the driver lost control and hit the tuk-tuk,” said Jamric Kariuki.

Residents have decried the rising number of accidents along the route, where several people have lost their lives and others have been left with life-altering injuries.

They are now calling on the Ministry of Roads to fast-track ongoing repairs on the highway, urging authorities to fill in the large potholes and install speed bumps at accident-prone spots.

Their views were echoed by area MP Mary Maingi, who, while condoling with the families who lost loved ones in the dawn incident, called on KENHA to erect road bumps from Red Soil all the way to Ngurubani town to minimise accidents.

She also called on drivers to be cautious when navigating that section of the road.

“As Mwea, we are saddened that we have lost people this morning. We are calling on KENHA to erect road bumps on the section to slow down speeding vehicles in a bid to avoid accidents,” the MP said.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the eight victims have been moved to Kerugoya Level Five Hospital mortuary, pending post-mortem examination.