Kenya’s road carnage claimed yet more lives this past weekend, with two people confirmed dead and one critically injured after a lorry plunged into the Nzoia River along the Bomet-Kaplong Highway on Sunday morning.
The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK), in a statement shared on its official X account, confirmed the fatalities, noting: “Soymet Bridge, Bomet, 2 dead, 1 rushed to the hospital after a lorry plunged into the river this Sunday morning.”
Emergency responders, aided by concerned residents, rushed to the scene, where they pulled survivors from the wreckage. The lone survivor was immediately taken to Kaplong Hospital for treatment. Eyewitnesses described a frantic rescue operation, underscoring the fragile state of safety measures along Kenya’s highways.
The Bomet crash capped a deadly 24 hours on Kenyan roads. On Saturday morning, two people died and three others were injured in a grisly accident along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.
Athi River South Sub-County Police Commander David Kandie confirmed that a trailer had rammed into an oncoming pick-up truck before crashing into another lorry at Kwa Mautiiyo in Malii. The victims included the trailer driver and a 25-year-old passenger. The injured are currently recuperating at Machakos Level 5 Hospital.
These incidents contribute to a disturbing trend. According to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Kenya has recorded 2,933 fatalities between January and August 10, 2024. The alarming figure reflects a rising wave of accidents that continue to devastate families and cripple livelihoods.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir recently acknowledged the crisis, revealing that the government has dispatched a technical team to audit accident-prone areas nationwide.
“We will continue working with stakeholders to implement both long- and medium-term measures outlined in Kenya’s National Road Safety Action Plan 2024-2028,” he said, while urging motorists to embrace vigilance and discipline.
As rescue efforts fade into grief for families, the weekend’s twin tragedies are yet another reminder that Kenya’s roads remain unforgiving, and that reversing the trend demands urgent collective responsibility.
