Five people lost their lives, and eight others sustained serious injuries on Saturday, September 5, 2026, after a matatu ploughed into a stationary trailer along the Nakuru–Eldoret highway at a notorious stretch.
Kuresoi base commander Willy Lang’at confirmed that the matatu, which was operating under Kapsowar SACCO and heading towards Eldoret, was travelling at excessive speed when it collided with the trailer.
The force of the impact left several passengers dead at the scene and many others in critical condition.
Among the five who perished were two members of the same family, a detail that has added a particularly painful dimension to the tragedy.
Where was the administration police pass-out parade being held?
The relatives had been travelling together after attending an administration police pass-out parade in Nairobi, where a member of their family was being commissioned. What began as a day of celebration ended in devastating loss on their way back home.
The bridge section of the Nakuru–Eldoret highway has a long history of fatal accidents, and Saturday’s crash is the latest in a series of incidents that have claimed lives at the same location.
What caused the deadly Nakuru crash?
Lang’at pointed to excessive speed as the primary cause of the crash, noting that the matatu had no reasonable chance of stopping in time once it bore down on the stationary trailer.
Authorities have urged transport operators using the busy highway corridor to enforce strict speed limits, particularly at known black spots where visibility and road conditions increase the risk of fatal collisions.
The injured passengers were rushed to nearby health facilities for emergency treatment, though their conditions had not been fully disclosed at the time of reporting.
