The government has reported a sharp rise in road traffic fatalities with 80 people losing their lives in just four days.
Data from the Ministry of Roads and Transport shows that between January and August 10, 2025, a total of 2,933 people have died in crashes across the country.
The recent spike has involved public service vehicles, private cars, and commercial trucks.
Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, Davis Chirchir, said officials from various agencies are conducting safety audits on affected road segments aimed at identifying safety deficiencies and reconstruct crash scenes.
“The team is expected to complete the exercise within the next seven days and submit technical recommendations for implementation to avert unnecessary loss of lives,” Chirchir said in a statement on Monday.
Within
the past week, multiple tragic incidents have unfolded on Kenyan roads.
A school bus
overturned in Kisumu, leaving over 20 dead, a bus–train collision in Naivasha
that left 9 dead, and a matatu–lorry head-on in Kitengela-Isinya, leaving seven
dead and eight injured.
There was a lorry collision in Kisii that left two people dead and 11 injured. Another crash near Gilgil on the Nairobi–Nakuru Road left five people dead.
In the past week, there have been at least a total of 48 fatalities reported as a result of road accidents across the country with the government confirming that as of Monday August 11, 2025 80 deaths have been reported.
On Monday, one passenger was confirmed dead after the bus they were travelling in got involved in a grisly accident.
Six others were seriously injured in the Monday evening accident along the Kisumu Busia highway, in Lela area. Regional Traffic Enforcement Officer Peter Maina confirmed the incident.
The accident involved a Royal liner bus, a fuel tanker, and a flat-bed trailer. Police said the bus was allegedly overtaking when it collided with the other vehicles involved in the accident.
The National Police Service raised
concern over a recent surge in road accidents across the country.
NPS said that
most of the crashes are preventable if road users exercise caution.
In a statement on Sunday, NPS said they are working with other
state agencies to conduct thorough and expeditious investigations to establish
the causes of the accidents.
They said road crashes inflict immense suffering on families and stressed that every possible measure must be taken to prevent further loss of life.
“In
the last few days, we have witnessed a spate of road accidents across the
country. As a Service, we extend our condolences to the families who have lost
their loved ones and wish a quick recovery to those recovering in hospitals,” the
statement read.
According to the NPS, the majority of accidents are avoidable if motorists and pedestrians change their risky behaviour.
