Kenya: 17 killed as pilgrim van crashes on Nairobi–Mombasa highway
In short
Seventeen people were killed and several others injured in a multiple-vehicle crash in Kenya's Salama area on the highway between Nairobi and Mombasa on Saturday, the National Transport and Safety Authority said. Most of the dead were pilgrims travelling to a religious site; police told Gulf News that a truck driver's failed overtaking manoeuvre caused the collision, while a security source told WAM the minibus, carrying 14 passengers, was struck from behind by a lorry.
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Seventeen people were killed and several others injured in a multiple-vehicle crash on the highway between Nairobi and Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa on Saturday, Kenyan authorities said. The National Transport and Safety Authority put the toll at 17 dead, according to WAM, which said the crash occurred in the Salama area, about 90 kilometres south-east of Nairobi. Gulf News, citing police, reported that the collision happened after midnight. [ 1 , 2 ]
Most of the dead were pilgrims. Gulf News said the van's driver and 16 passengers, most of them women, died at the scene, and that the group was travelling to a prayer site in Nakuru County, west of Nairobi, according to Martin Kivuva, archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa. WAM, citing a security source, said the victims were travelling to a religious shrine in a minibus carrying 14 passengers, and that the minibus was struck from behind by a lorry that had been pushed forwards by another lorry. [ 1 , 2 ]
The two outlets described the cause of the crash differently. Gulf News, citing police, said a truck driver tried and failed to overtake another truck, causing a collision with vehicles including the van carrying the pilgrims. WAM's security source described the minibus being hit from behind. [ 1 , 2 ]
Archbishop Kivuva said in a statement that he and others were “saddened with lots of grief” over the deaths, Gulf News reported. President William Ruto offered condolences to the families, friends, parishioners and the entire Catholic community “who are mourning this painful loss”, the outlet said. [ 1 ]
The National Transport and Safety Authority called on all motorists to exercise extreme caution, avoid dangerous overtaking and strictly observe lane discipline, according to Gulf News. The agency said the stretch where the crash happened was a so-called black spot, and that recommendations to address the safety concerns had been made. Gulf News added that road accidents are a problem across Africa, and that in Kenya and elsewhere in the region they are often blamed on poorly maintained vehicles, excess speed and poor road conditions. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The deaths prompted Kenya's road safety authority to repeat warnings against dangerous overtaking on a stretch it calls a black spot. Gulf News reported that such crashes are a recurring problem in Kenya and across Africa, often blamed on poorly maintained vehicles, excess speed and poor road conditions. For readers outside Kenya the crash is a distant foreign news item, carried by a Dubai-based outlet and the Emirati state news agency.
Key facts
- Seventeen people were killed in a multiple-vehicle crash in the Salama area of Kenya on Saturday, with several others injured, according to Kenyan authorities. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The crash happened on the highway linking the capital Nairobi with the coastal city of Mombasa, in the Salama area about 90 kilometres south-east of Nairobi. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Most of those killed were pilgrims; Gulf News said the van's driver and 16 passengers, most of them women, died at the scene, and that they were heading to a prayer site in Nakuru County. [ 1 ]
- Police told Gulf News the crash happened after midnight when a truck driver tried and failed to overtake another truck. [ 1 ]
- A security source told WAM the victims were in a minibus carrying 14 passengers that was struck from behind by a lorry pushed forwards by another lorry. [ 2 ]
- Kenya's National Transport and Safety Authority called on motorists to exercise extreme caution, avoid dangerous overtaking and observe lane discipline, and said the stretch was a black spot for which safety recommendations had been made. [ 1 ]
- President William Ruto offered condolences to the families, friends, parishioners and the Catholic community, and Archbishop Martin Kivuva said he and others were “saddened with lots of grief”. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Seventeen people were killed in a multiple-vehicle crash in the Salama area of Kenya, Kenyan authorities including the National Transport and Safety Authority said. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The crash occurred on the road between Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Most of the dead were pilgrims travelling to a religious site, and the vehicle carrying them was involved in a collision with lorries. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Kenya's National Transport and Safety Authority is the authority cited for the death toll and for the road-safety response. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- How the collision happened The accounts differ: Gulf News, citing police, said a truck driver tried and failed to overtake another truck; WAM, citing a security source, said the minibus was struck from behind by a lorry pushed forwards by another lorry. Neither outlet identifies its source further, and the documents give no investigation finding.
- How many people were in the pilgrims' vehicle and how many were injured Gulf News said the van's driver and 16 passengers died; WAM said the minibus carried 14 passengers and that several other people were injured. The counts are single-sourced and do not match.
- The exact time of the crash Only Gulf News describes it, saying it happened after midnight; no precise time is given in either document.
- The exact destination of the pilgrims Gulf News says a prayer site in Nakuru County and WAM says a religious shrine; the documents do not reconcile the two descriptions or name the site.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- A truck driver's failed overtaking manoeuvre triggers a multiple-vehicle crash in the Salama area on the Nairobi–Mombasa highway, Kenyan police say. [ 1 ]
- Gulf News reports 17 dead, most of them pilgrims heading to a prayer site in Nakuru County, along with condolences from President William Ruto and Archbishop Martin Kivuva, and the road safety authority's warning to motorists. [ 1 ]
- WAM reports the National Transport and Safety Authority's toll of 17 dead and several injured, locating the crash about 90 kilometres south-east of Nairobi. [ 2 ]