Scene of accident where scored died after the bus they were travelling on got involved in a traffic accident along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway in Machakos county on July 7, 2026./GEORGE OWITI
Scene of accident where scored died after the bus they were travelling on got involved in a traffic accident along Nairobi - Mombasa highway in Machakos county on July 7, 2026./GEORGE OWITI
Six people have been confirmed dead and several injured after a public service bus collided with a trailer along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway in Machakos County, the latest in a string of fatal crashes on the busy road.
The crash occurred shortly after midnight near the Kapiti area, a few kilometres from Konza Technopolis in Athi River sub-county, triggering a major rescue operation and causing a massive traffic snarl-up.
Kalama Subcounty police commander Patrick Gaitirira said the six people died on the spot in the grisly road accident that happened along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.
"This morning we had a road traffic accident that is fatal which occured at around 1.00am. It involved three vehicles, two trailers and a bus," Gaitirira said.
Scene of accident where scored died after the bus they were travelling on got involved in a traffic accident along Nairobi - Mombasa highway in Machakos county on July 7, 2026
The police boss addressed the press at the scene after the rescue operations were concluded and traffic cleared on Tuesday.
"The trailer was coming from Mombasa to Nairobi and there was a bus heading to Mombasa from Nairobi. When they reached the location of the accident, there was overtaking by one of the trailers. So, as a result, there was head on collision between the trailer and the bus," he said.
He said the accident was such serious that six people died on the spot and several others sustained serious and minor injuries and were rushed to Machakos Level 5 hospital.
Gaitirira said the trapped bodies have already been retrieved from the bus and taken to Machakos Level 5 mortuary.
He advised all road users to take caution and be careful especially while overtaking.
"You can look at the distance and see if you can be able to overtake it. Take your time so that you reach your destination safely," Gaitirira said.
Gaitirira said they were yet to establish the number of people who were in the bus.
"We are still analysing the number of people who have been taken to hospital," the police boss said.
Eyewitnesses said the Kapiti victims were travelling in a passenger bus when it rammed into a trailer under circumstances that are yet to be established.
By the time of publication, at least 38 injured passengers had been rushed to Machakos Level 5 Hospital for treatment, according to a source at the facility.
Police officers from Kyumbi and Muumandu police stations were deployed to the scene to coordinate the rescue operation and manage traffic as long queues of vehicles built up along the highway.
The accident caused significant disruption to traffic, with police working to ease congestion and direct motorists away from the scene.
Authorities had not issued an official statement on the cause of the crash by the time of publication.
The tragedy comes just days after another deadly crash on the same highway in the Mukaa area, where 10 people were killed after a bus travelling from Makueni to Athi River crashed into a trailer. Several other passengers were injured in that incident.
