Three people died instantly when a truck they were riding slammed into a concrete wall at the Mombasa–Namanga Road interchange in Athi River, Machakos County, on Saturday evening near Shalom Community Hospital.
Eyewitnesses reported that the driver lost control moments before impact, sending the heavy vehicle veering into the barrier just metres from the facility. The force of the collision crushed the cab, fatally injuring the driver and his two passengers.
Local resident Titus Kibicho said the driver appeared to suffer severe head trauma, and all three occupants were trapped in the wreckage. Bystanders rushed to assist emergency responders as efforts got under way to free the victims.
Officers from Athi River Police Station arrived at the scene, recovered the bodies with help from members of the public, and transported them to a nearby mortuary. The truck was later towed to the station for inspection as investigators seek to establish what caused the loss of control.
The tragedy comes amid a worrying run of fatal crashes along the busy Namanga corridor. Earlier this week, a man was killed after being run over by a speeding vehicle on the same stretch of road near the KCB branch in Kitengela, Kajiado County.
Just days earlier, on July 15, a lorry struck and killed a mother and her child on the outskirts of Kitengela town. Angry residents set the vehicle ablaze and beat the driver, who sustained serious injuries; the boda boda rider carrying the victims fled the scene.
Residents say the interchange handles a constant mix of long‑haul trucks leaving the Nairobi–Mombasa highway, local traffic bound for Namanga and nearby industrial parks, and heavy pedestrian movement to health and commercial centres. High speeds, sharp merges, and frequent lane changes have created a persistent hazard.
The cluster of incidents has intensified pressure on the Kenya National Highways Authority to install traffic‑calming measures at known black spots. Isinya Subcounty Police Commander Simon Lokitari said he has engaged highway officials on community concerns and requested urgent intervention.
By Saturday, road signage was being erected at the site where the mother and child died, and residents are calling for additional steps including speed bumps, rumble strips, stricter enforcement, reflective markings, better lighting, and safer pedestrian crossings to curb the mounting toll on the corridor. Multisector teams from KeNHA, traffic police, county engineers, and the National Transport and Safety Authority are expected to review the corridor as investigations continue.
