Five killed in accident on Gilgil-Naivasha highway
An accident scene. At least seven people have died after a truck crashed into pedestrians in Timau town.
At least five people died on the spot following a gruesome road accident on the Gilgil-Naivasha highway on Thursday night.
Police said the accident involved two government vehicles travelling in opposite directions.
Police said the dead included two adult males, one adult female and two juvenile males and females.
19 other passengers were seriously injured and have been admitted to Naivasha Sub County Hospital where they are receiving treatment.
Police said the 7.30 am accident in the Kigio area was caused by careless driving as one of the public service vehicles was on its way to Gilgil to tow another vehicle.
However, on reaching the accident site, one of the matatu vehicles belonging to a Narok Sacco collided with an oncoming vehicle that was dangerously overtaking other vehicles.
"The motor vehicle coming from the opposite direction overtook a fleet of motor vehicles and failed to return to its lane in time and hit one of the PSV vehicles," police said in a statement.
Police said the impact caused the private vehicle to lose control, roll several times and end up in the ditch.
The deceased were all in the matatu vehicle.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to the Gilgil Sub County Hospital morgue for preservation and identification.
All motor vehicles were towed to the station for inspection.
From January 1 to April 1, 2024, some 7,198 people were involved in road crashes in Kenya, an increase of 1,908 compared to a similar period in 2023, according to the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA).
Pedestrians topped the list of accident fatalities, with more than 430 deaths recorded between January 1 and April 1, 2024.
According to the NTSA report, pedestrians remain the most vulnerable road users, with 1,591 deaths in 2023 compared to 1,682 in 2022.
Boda boda operators had 1,133 deaths compared to 1,255 in 2022.
