Nine-hour traffic on Mombasa Road cleared

Normal traffic resumes along Mombasa Rd after a trailer overturned on Sunday night./GEORGE OWITI

The 14-seater matatu whose passengers sustained injuries after it got involved in an accident along Mutituni-Machakos Road in Machakos county on September 14, 2025.

Hundreds of motorists were stranded for nearly 10 hours on Sunday night after a trailer overturned and blocked the busy Nairobi–Mombasa highway at Lukenya in Athi River, Machakos County.

According to police, the trailer, which was headed towards Nairobi, lost control at around 9.30pm and overturned, completely sealing off the road.

The incident was reported to Athi River Police Station.

“The accident happened on September 14, 2025, involving motor vehicle registration number [Axor] driven by one Collins Matumo,” a police report said.

Matumo sustained a slight cut on his left cheek and was advised to seek medical attention.

Traffic only resumed at around 6.00 am after officers cleared the obstruction.

By mid-morning, the wreckage had been moved off the road, though the trailer and its container remained at the scene. Police said investigations into the cause of the accident are underway.

The crash occurred just a few metres from where two people were killed and three others critically injured in another road accident last Wednesday. In that incident, a Toyota Probox driver lost control near Luqman petrol station in Lukenya, veered off the road, and rolled several times.

The victims, a 28-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man, were pronounced dead on arrival at Machakos Level 5 Hospital. The driver, Stephen Mutinda, 40, was among the critically injured alongside a 59-year-old woman and a four-year-old girl.

Elsewhere in Machakos on Sunday night, four people sustained injuries when a 14-seater matatu was involved in an accident at Sweet Waters area along the Mutituni–Machakos road. Police confirmed that no fatalities were recorded in the crash.

The series of incidents have once again put the spotlight on road safety in Machakos County, where multiple serious accidents have been reported in recent weeks.