Four people died on the spot on Wednesday morning after a Mombasa bound bus was involved in a head-on collision with a truck at Manyani, Taita Taveta.
Those who died were the bus driver, one passenger, the truck's driver and his conductor.
The 5:30am incident happened near the Manyani Maximum Security Prison.
The driver of the Dreamline Company bus tried to overtake another vehicle, before crashing into an oncoming Nairobi-bound truck.
Voi subcounty police commander Bernstein Shari said other passengers sustained minor injuries.
They were rushed to Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi for treatment.
“The bus with 44 passengers was heading to Mombasa from Nairobi. The driver of the bus was overtaking another truck and he hit it on the rear right before the accident,” he said.
“Due to the impact, the driver of the bus and one unknown passenger died on the spot.”
Shari said the driver of the truck and his conductor died on spot and were trapped in the cabin.
“The bodies of the deceased were moved to Moi County Referral Hospital morgue awaiting identification,” he said.
The two vehicles were extensively damaged and towed to Voi police station pending inspection.
The police boss said the accident might have been caused by low visibility occasioned by heavy rains.
He cautioned drivers against speeding especially during the festive season.
“I urge all road users to exercise caution,” Shari said.
The accident comes amid concerns over the increase in road accidents.
Data by the National Transport and Safety Authority shows accidents had increased.
The authority said the number of those who had died through accidents as per November stood at 4,023 compared to 3,340 in the same period last year with bodaboda operators leading at 1,508.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
