At least six people lost their lives early Saturday morning after a tragic road accident along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway near the Soy Sambu area in Gilgil. The fatal crash occurred around 4 a.m. when a saloon car collided head-on with an oncoming truck.
According to Gilgil police boss Winston Mwakio, preliminary investigations indicate that the saloon car driver was attempting to overtake another vehicle when the collision occurred. The impact was so severe that all six occupants of the saloon car died instantly.
“The wreckage of both vehicles has been towed to Gilgil Police Station, and the bodies taken to Gilgil Sub-County Hospital Mortuary pending identification by family members,” Mwakio said.
This tragic incident brings to ten the total number of people who have died between Friday evening and Saturday morning in separate crashes along major highways in the region. Police confirmed that four other people, including three pedestrians and a driver, died in different road accidents on Friday. Seven others sustained injuries and are receiving treatment in hospital.
The deadly collision comes amid growing concern over Kenya’s rising road carnage. Data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) reveals that between January 1 and March 31, 2025, a total of 1,139 people lost their lives in road crashes a slight decline from 1,166 deaths recorded during the same period in 2024.
However, NTSA statistics from June 2024 to March 2025 show a worrying 10 per cent increase in fatalities, with 3,581 deaths reported nationwide. Pedestrians and motorcyclists remain the most at-risk road users, accounting for 420 and 301 fatalities respectively in the first quarter of 2025.
Authorities have urged motorists to exercise caution, avoid speeding, and refrain from dangerous overtaking, especially on busy highways such as the Nairobi–Nakuru route.
