A fresh wave of fatal road accidents has left at least 12 people dead in separate crashes that occurred between Thursday night and Friday morning, with the victims losing their lives in collisions reported in Uasin Gishu and Marsabit counties.
The accidents, which also left several others injured, have once again drawn attention to the continued loss of lives on some of the country's busiest highways as police investigate the circumstances behind the crashes.
The deadliest accident happened at the notorious Mlima Punda black spot along the Eldoret-Nakuru highway, where seven people, among them two students travelling home for the school holidays, were killed after three vehicles collided.
The crash occurred at about 9.30pm on Thursday and involved a heavy commercial truck and two passenger matatus.
Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Wilberforce Sicharani said the truck was travelling from Nakuru towards Eldoret when its driver tried to overtake while descending the hill.
“The truck rammed into the two oncoming matatus, which were travelling towards Nakuru. The driver of one of the matatus and six occupants died instantly,” Sicharani said.
He said the seven victims included the two students, whose identities had not been released by Friday because relatives were yet to formally identify them.
Several passengers escaped with injuries and were taken to Burnt Forest Hospital and the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret for treatment.
The bodies of those who died were transferred to the MTRH mortuary where they will remain pending identification and post-mortem examinations.
Police removed the wreckage from the scene and towed the vehicles to Tarakwa Police Station as investigations into the fatal crash got underway.
In Marsabit County, five more people were killed in another accident at Kargi Junction, about 10 kilometres from Marsabit town along the Isiolo-Moyale road.
According to Marsabit County Police Commander Leonard Kimaiyo, the accident happened at about 4am on Friday when one trailer crashed into the back of another.
The two trailers, both carrying beans, were heading from Moyale towards Marsabit town when the collision occurred.
“Four people died on the spot while another succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at Marsabit County Teaching and Referral Hospital. We are investigating the cause of the fatal accident,” Kimaiyo said.
The bodies were taken to the Marsabit County Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary as police continued with investigations into the crash.
The latest accidents happened barely a day after another road tragedy in Meru County where two pupils died and 49 other people were injured after a school bus overturned at Ngumba area along the Mikinduri-Kunati road on Wednesday night.
Meru County Traffic Commander Osman Hassan said the injured included four teachers and the bus driver.
The pupils were travelling home from an educational trip to the Meru Museum when the bus overturned.
Residents said the section of the road where the accident happened has for years been known as a black spot and has witnessed several deadly crashes, prompting repeated calls for improved road safety measures.