10 killed as matatu and lorry collide on Eldoret-Kitale highway
Members of the public at the scene of the crash involving a lorry and matatu on Eldoret-Kitale highway on January 3, 2025.
What you need to know:
- The ill-fated Great Rift shuttle had just picked up passengers from Matunda shopping centre when it collided with the lorry ferrying water pipes to Kitale.
- The lorry driver escaped after the accident, with police calling on him to surrender.
Ten people died on the spot Friday following a road accident involving a Nairobi-bound shuttle and a lorry at Soy market, Eldoret-Kitale highway.
The ill-fated Great Rift shuttle had just picked up passengers from Matunda shopping centre when it collided with the lorry ferrying water pipes to Kitale.
Moi's Bridge police chief Henry Zuma said the driver of the matatu and eight passengers died on the spot, while the tenth passenger was pronounced dead on arrival at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret.
The scene of the crash involving a lorry and matatu on Eldoret-Kitale highway on January 3, 2025.
Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Benjamin Mwanthi said besides the driver, only three passengers in the ill-fated matatu, all children, survived the crash with serious injuries.
The bodies were taken to the MTRH mortuary pending identification and post-mortems.
The lorry driver escaped after the accident, with police calling on him to surrender.
“We call upon the driver to report with immediate effect to the nearest police station for onward legal action,” Mr Mwanthi said.
Residents of Matunda protested the poor state of the busy road, saying it requires repairs. They say the dilapidated road is too narrow and riddled with potholes, causing vehicles to struggle to overtake.
“Why is the government not expanding this road? We have had endless accidents. Contractors only do patch repairs instead of full rehabilitation,” noted Loice Nakhumicha, a resident.
Soy Police Commander Henry Zuma said the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Mai Mahiu accident
The crash comes barely ten days after eight people were killed on December 23 in a road accident at Mai Mahiu on the Narok-Nairobi highway.
It happened when a trailer that was traveling from Narok town towards Mai Mahiu had a tyre burst then rammed into a saloon car, an Ena Coach bus and a matatu - all travelling on different sides of the road.
Three passengers in the matatu died on the spot.
A few minutes later, a second trailer traveling from Narok towards Mai Mahiu collided head-on with a Toyota Prado heading towards Narok. Two occupants in the Prado were killed on the spot while a third occupant died while receiving treatment at Narok County Referral Hospital.
The second trailer also knocked down a motorcycle killing two pillion passengers on the spot.
By Evans Jaola, Steve Keter and Steve Otieno
