At least 24 people have been killed and another 24 injured after a bus collided with a truck on Kenya’s Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, prompting renewed calls for road accidents to be declared a national emergency.
The deadly collision occurred on Sunday, October 25, in Makueni County, along one of Kenya’s busiest highways.
Passengers on the bus were returning to Mombasa after attending the funeral of their church pastor in western Kenya.
According to Africanews and the Associated Press, authorities believe improper overtaking caused the crash.
The tragedy comes just three weeks after another accident on the same highway killed 17 people.
Kenya bus crash leaves 24 dead
The bus was travelling towards Mombasa when it collided with a truck.
Authorities confirmed that at least 24 passengers died, while another 24 sustained injuries.
Survivors described a frightening sequence of events before the collision.
Reverend Spencier Mdave, who was travelling on the bus, said the truck attempted to overtake before encountering oncoming traffic.
According to his account, the truck driver then tried to abandon the manoeuvre but lost control.
The vehicles subsequently collided.
Mdave said passengers seated towards the back of the bus suffered some of the most serious injuries.
Meanwhile, several passengers near the front escaped with relatively minor injuries.
Mdave himself reported suffering bruises and said he had been discharged from medical care.
Deadly crash follows another highway tragedy
The latest accident has renewed concerns about road safety in Kenya.
Just three weeks earlier, another crash on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway claimed 17 lives.
The highway connects Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, with Mombasa, the country’s main port city.
It serves as an important transport route for passengers, commercial vehicles and goods moving between the two cities.
However, serious road accidents continue to raise questions about driving standards and highway safety.
Authorities have previously identified speeding and poor road conditions as contributing factors in traffic accidents.
In Sunday’s collision, investigators pointed to improper overtaking as the suspected cause.
Road safety officials call for national emergency
Following the crash, Kenya’s transport safety authorities called for road accidents to be treated as a national emergency.
Officials warned that traffic collisions continue to claim thousands of lives every year.
According to figures cited by Africanews, Kenya records approximately 20,000 road crashes annually.
These accidents result in more than 5,000 deaths each year.
The figures highlight the scale of the country’s road safety challenges.
Transport officials argue that stronger measures are necessary to reduce fatalities.
The latest accident has intensified calls for greater attention to road safety enforcement and vehicle standards.
President Ruto orders vehicle inspections
Kenyan President William Ruto expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the collision.
He also ordered inspections of public service vehicles to ensure they comply with safety requirements.
The directive aims to strengthen compliance and reduce the risk of further accidents.
Ruto urged drivers to exercise greater caution and respect traffic regulations.
His response follows growing public concern over repeated fatal collisions.
However, the government has not announced whether it will formally declare road accidents a national emergency.
Why are road accidents a major concern in Kenya?
Road transport plays an essential role in Kenya’s economy.
Millions of people rely on buses, minibuses and other vehicles to travel between cities and rural communities.
Meanwhile, commercial trucks use major highways to transport goods across the country and the wider East African region.
However, dangerous overtaking, speeding and poor road conditions can increase the risk of serious accidents.
Collisions involving buses and heavy trucks can be particularly deadly because of the number of passengers involved.
The latest tragedy has renewed attention on the importance of road safety measures.
Kenya faces renewed pressure to improve road safety
The deaths of 24 people on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway have once again highlighted Kenya’s road safety challenges.
With another 24 people injured, the accident has left families and communities facing significant losses.
The collision also comes shortly after another deadly incident on the same route.
As a result, transport authorities are calling for stronger national action.
President Ruto’s order to inspect public service vehicles marks one response to the latest tragedy.
However, road safety officials continue to push for broader measures to prevent further deaths.
For now, the crash has renewed calls for urgent improvements to road safety across Kenya.