Seventeen people have died in a multiple-vehicle crash at Mlima Kiu in Salama, Kilome, along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
The accident occurred at about 12:10am on Saturday, October 3, 2026, when a Howo Sinotruk travelling from Nairobi towards Mombasa was involved in a series of collisions.
According to police at Salama Police Station, the truck driver allegedly failed to keep to his lane while overtaking a fleet of vehicles before ramming into the rear right side of a Hino lorry.
The impact reportedly caused the Sinotruk driver to lose control before the truck collided sideways with an oncoming Peugeot and a Toyota Noah.
Police said the truck then swerved into the climbing lane, where it collided head-on with a Toyota Hiace PSV matatu.
The out-of-control truck was eventually stopped after colliding with a Nissan UD travelling from Mombasa towards Nairobi.
17 killed in chain of collisions
Police said the driver of the matatu and 12 passengers died at the scene.
The driver of the Sinotruk, identified as Shijire, and three passengers travelling in the truck also died on the spot.
Sultan Hamud Sub-County Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Stephen Mwangangi confirmed that 17 people had died in what he described as a chain of accidents.
“It was a chain of accidents. It involved a 14-seater matatu that was headed towards Nairobi and a lorry. A lorry rammed into another lorry, pulled it and caused a chain of accidents. In the process, a head-on collision between the 14-seater matatu and the lorry occurred,” Mwangangi said.
The crash was reported at Salama Police Station as a fatal road traffic accident.
Several other people sustained injuries in the multiple-vehicle collision, resulting in a heavy traffic snarl along the busy highway.
Police officers and emergency responders rushed to the scene to rescue the injured and document the crash.
Seven injured taken to hospital
Mwangangi said seven injured people were admitted to Sultan Hamud Sub-County Hospital.
Six of them suffered soft tissue injuries and were treated before being discharged.
One of the lorry drivers sustained severe head and abdominal injuries and was referred to Makueni County Referral Hospital after being stabilised.
“We stabilised and referred him to Makueni County Referral Hospital. As we speak, we have 14 bodies in our mortuary. It is a sad day for us,” Mwangangi said.
He added that three other bodies were taken to another mortuary within the area.
Police documented the scene before the damaged vehicles were towed to the Salama Police Station yard, where they will remain pending inspection.
Eastern Regional Police Commander Stephen Chebet said investigations had been launched to establish the circumstances that led to the fatal crash.
