Six people have died after a Chania Executive bus collided with a trailer on the Nairobi–Mombasa highway in Manyatta area of Taita Taveta County, in the latest accident to highlight growing safety concerns on one of Kenya’s busiest transport routes. The crash happened on Thursday, March 5, leaving several passengers injured and raising fresh alarm about risky driving and frequent accidents along the key highway that links Nairobi to the coast.
Coast traffic boss Asha Wario confirmed that the bus driver had attempted to overtake when the trailer rammed into the vehicle. The impact was severe, leaving the bus badly damaged.
According to police, the bus ended up wrecked on its right side, with windows shattered and the body of the vehicle heavily crushed.
Emergency teams rushed injured passengers to Moi County Referral Hospital Voi where they received urgent medical treatment. The bodies of those who died in the crash were moved to the morgue as authorities prepare for postmortem examinations.
The accident comes just days after another serious crash along the same highway. On Monday, March 2, two trailers collided near Greenpark Estate in Athi River within Machakos County after one of the vehicles lost control and rammed into the other.
Police reports show that both trailers were travelling toward Nairobi from Mombasa when the collision occurred. The impact caused a fire that quickly spread across the vehicles.
Firefighters from Machakos County Government responded to the scene and worked to put out the flames. Despite the effort, the driver of one of the trailers died after being completely burned in the fire.
Another person sustained serious injuries during the incident, while occupants of the second trailer managed to escape without harm.
The Monday crash also caused heavy traffic disruption along the Nairobi–Mombasa highway, affecting motorists travelling toward the coast as emergency responders cleared the scene.
The two accidents within a few days have renewed concern about safety along the highway, which handles a large volume of passenger and cargo traffic linking the coastal region with Nairobi and other inland towns.
Authorities say investigations into both incidents are ongoing as they seek to determine the exact causes and explore ways to improve road safety. Early police reports on the latest crash suggest that dangerous overtaking may have played a role, along with the speed and size of the vehicles involved.
Concerns over road safety have also been raised at the national level. On Monday, Martha Koome warned that the country is facing a growing road safety crisis after the number of deaths from accidents rose in the past year.
According to the Chief Justice, road fatalities reached 5,000 in 2025 compared to 4,448 in 2024.
She also revealed that courts handled 62,932 traffic cases during the 2024/2025 financial year. The cases involved offences such as reckless driving, driving under the influence, and violations of insurance laws.
The situation was also evident during the 2025 festive season when 415 people lost their lives in road accidents. The figure marked a 23 percent rise from the 338 deaths recorded during the same period in 2024.
Koome linked the increase to several factors including a growing number of vehicles on the roads, weak enforcement of traffic laws, poor road conditions, and unsafe driving behaviour.
She called for urgent reforms to address the problem. Among the measures she proposed are instant fines for traffic offenders, introduction of demerit points for drivers who break road rules, the use of digital systems to manage traffic cases, and stronger public awareness campaigns aimed at reducing accidents.
