Eight people perished in a grisly road crash on Saturday morning at Korompoi, Kitengela along the Nairobi Namanga highway.
Of the eight people, seven are reported to have died at the scene. Police have since confirmed that one more person succumbed while receiving treatment in hospital.
The head-on collision involving a lorry and a 14-seater matatu happened at 8am. The matatu was heading towards Kitengela while the lorry was heading towards Isinya.
Isinya Sub County Police Commander Simon Lokitari, while confirming the fatalities, called on all road users to exercise caution to prevent such incidents.
The wreckage of a matatu that was involved in a crash on Namanga Road in Kajiado County on August 9, 2025.
Photo credit: Stanley Ngotho | Nation Media Group
“It is indeed a sad morning, we have lost four female adults and three male adults in a tragic accident. The seven succumbed on the spot. Several others have been critically injured and rushed to various hospitals,” Lokitari said.
He said motorists tend to speed on that particular road on the assumption that it has no heavy traffic.
The injured were rushed to various health facilities for treatment, while the dead bodies were moved to Shalom Community Hospital mortuary and Kitengela Sub County Hospital funeral home for identification and postmortem.
Eyewitnesses said the lorry was overtaking another vehicle heading in the same direction when it collided with the matatu. The accident caused a huge traffic snarl up along the busy highway.
“It was extremely foggy today. Motorists were driving with their headlights on. I was driving a few meters behind the matatu. Then I heard a bang followed by screams. I stopped immediately and realized it was an accident. Several bodies were thrown out of the matatu while others remained trapped inside,” said John Njogu, who operates a tuktuk.
Following the accident, agitated area residents burnt the lorry to ashes and protested by barricading the road while demanding erection of speed bumps and road signage.
The wreckage of a lorry that was involved in a crash on Namanga Road in Kajiado County on August 9, 2025.
Photo credit: Stanley Ngotho | Nation Media Group
The residents said the area is prone to accidents with at least seven people killed in the last two months, including a mother and child who were hit by a speeding lorry three weeks ago.
They appealed to the Kenya National Highway Authority (Kenha) to erect speed bumps and put up clear signage along the highway.
The residents also called on the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) and traffic officers to initiate a crackdown on motorists who endanger the lives of other road users.
“We are demanding urgent intervention to address these accidents. Hit-and-run accidents have become common here. The agencies concerned should urgently intervene to save lives,” said Ann Nduge, a resident.
The Nairobi-Namanga highway is used by truckers to ferry goods from Tanzania into the country through the Namanga one-stop border.
However, there are no designated livestock crossing areas, with herders often crossing the road at various points.
