At least 17 people were killed in a grisly multi-vehicle accident at Salama in Makueni County along the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway on Saturday, October 3.
The crash occurred shortly after midnight after a lorry reportedly developed brake problems, lost control and crashed into several vehicles, including a 14-seater matatu.
Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif confirmed that the 17 people who died were passengers aboard the matatu.
Details of passengers killed in the Salama accident
Witnesses said the matatu was travelling towards Nairobi when it was caught up in a chain of collisions involving two trucks.
The Catholic Church in Mombasa later confirmed that the passengers were parishioners of St Mathias Mulumba Catholic Church in Mikindani who were travelling to Subukia Shrine in Nakuru County for prayers.
Mombasa Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde expressed sorrow over the deaths of the pilgrims in a statement.
“We are saddened and grief-stricken to announce the untimely passing of seventeen pilgrims from St Mathias Mulumba, Mikindani, in an accident that occurred at Salama,” he said.
Images from the accident scene showed the matatu extensively damaged, with its windscreen shattered and several windows broken.
Six survivors who sustained minor injuries were treated at Sultan Hamud Sub-County Referral Hospital before being discharged.
Stephen Mwangangi, the hospital’s medical superintendent, said the driver of one of the trucks involved sustained head and abdominal injuries and was referred to Makueni County Referral Hospital.
The collision caused significant traffic disruption along the busy Mombasa-Nairobi Highway, with motorists forced to seek alternative routes as emergency teams responded to the scene.
The Salama crash came a day after another accident at Kapiti Plains in Machakos County, where two trailers travelling in opposite directions collided and blocked both lanes of the highway.
