At least six people were killed in a road accident involving a lorry and a 14-seater matatu in the Mbooni area of Makueni County, police said.
Police said the Makueni accident happened after the speeding lorry reportedly lost control and crashed into a stationary matatu at Ngoluni Stage in Mbooni East on Friday, November 21.
Witnesses said that the lorry veered off the recently tarmacked road at Ngoluni Junction, hitting a Matatu that was picking up passengers heading to Machakos and Nairobi.
Six people died on the spot while several others sustained critical injuries and were rushed to the Machakos Level Five Hospital and other nearby health facilities in Makueni, police said.
Among those who died were four Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates who were heading home after completing their national examinations.
Mbooni East Sub-County Police Commander Ibrahim Karani said the injured were rushed to Makueni Level Five Hospital, while the bodies of the deceased were taken to the mortuary.
He said police are investigating the incident.
On Friday alone, at least 15 people were killed in separate road accidents.
The victims included six passengers, four riders, four pedestrians and a pedal cyclist.
Police said 14 others, who included six passengers, three pedestrians, two riders and a driver, were injured in the accidents.
The injured are in hospitals, police said.
The latest incidents come amidst a surge in the cases of road accidents over the past two weeks.
Last week, several people died after a bus collided with a lorry along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
The accident took place on November 15 after the bus driver, who was heading to Mombasa from Kisumu through Nairobi, lost control and rammed into an oncoming lorry at the Kinyambu area in Makueni County.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) data indicate that from January to October this year, the country recorded 3,890 road fatalities, compared to 3,805 during the same period last year.
According to the Authority, the deaths include 1,460 pedestrians, 351 drivers, 378 pillion passengers, 57 pedal cyclists, and 1,000 motorcyclists.
There is a campaign to address the menace.
