Eight members of the same family died on Saturday night after the vehicle they were in was involved in a crash with a trailer at Bw’arani-Tombe area on the Kericho-Nyamira road.
A somber mood engulfed Nyamira County Referral Hospital on Sunday morning as relatives of the deceased wailed while some collapsed, overwhelmed by the sight of their loved ones lying at the mortuary.
Among the dead were two children aged under two years, whose bodies lay on their mother’s chest.
Friends and relatives of the victims of the Kericho-Nyamira road crash outside Nyamira County Referral Hospital mortuary on December 14, 2025.
Photo credit: Ruth Mbula | Nation Media Group
Mr Jones Kebaso said four of his relatives were involved in the accident, which occurred around 8pm.
His sister-in-law and nephew are among those who died, while two other relatives were admitted to Nyamira County Referral Hospital in critical condition with severe head injuries and are currently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“We are processing their referral to Eldoret. They were travelling from Nairobi to their home village in Kenyenya, Nyamira South, to attend the burial of our late uncle,” said Mr Kebaso.
“Our uncle had been ill for nine years, but we lost him and were preparing for his burial. Now we have lost two more relatives, and two others are fighting for their lives.”
Nyamira County Director of Medical Services Jared Oeba confirmed that eight people died in the accident. He said seven others survived and were rushed to the county hospital, where four are currently fighting for their lives in the ICU.
Police said the accident involved a trailer, registration number KBE 701E, whose driver escaped after the crash, and a Nissan matatu, KCF 068V, belonging to Quarser Sacco. The driver of the Nissan matatu died on the spot.
The trailer that was involved in a crash with a PSV matatu on the on Kericho-Nyamira road on December 13, 2025.
Photo credit: Ruth Mbula | Nation Media Group
“The trailer was heading towards Kericho when the driver failed to keep to his lane and collided head-on with the matatu, which was travelling towards Nyamira,” a police report stated.
At the scene, police reported that members of the public turned hostile, siphoning fuel from the trailer and looting the two vehicles. Officers repulsed the crowd, but some began hurling stones and crude weapons.
“One of our officers fired five shots in the air to disperse the crowd,” police said in the incident report.
The two vehicles were later towed to Nyamira Police Station, where they are being held pending inspection.
Ms Beatrice Arani, who witnessed the accident, said the Bw’arani area has become a black spot.
“We are calling on the government to put measures in place to prevent further accidents on this road,” she said.
Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo, who visited the survivors at the county hospital, said his administration is making arrangements to refer two critically injured patients who require specialised treatment.
Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo speaks to journalists after he condoled with families who lost their loved ones on a fatal crash on the Kericho-Nyamira road on December 14, 2025.
Photo credit: Ruth Mbula | Nation Media Group
“They survived but sustained serious head injuries that require the attention of a neurosurgeon,” said Mr Nyaribo.
The governor later visited the county mortuary, where he condoled with the bereaved families.
“We have formed a committee to support the affected families, including assisting with burial arrangements,” he said.
