Seventeen people were killed in a multi-vehicle crash at Salama along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway on Saturday, October 3, with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) now investigating whether the vehicles involved met compliance requirements.
Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif confirmed the death toll, stating that a lorry driver lost control following a reported brake failure and collided with five other vehicles, among them a 14-seater van.
Those who died include the lorry driver, three passengers who had been travelling in the truck, and several occupants of the van, who were reportedly on their way to a prayer service.
NTSA Dispatches Investigation
Team to Salama In a statement, the NTSA said it had deployed a multi-disciplinary crash investigation team to the scene to determine the full circumstances surrounding the collision, with vehicle inspection and compliance forming a central part of the probe.
“The Authority has dispatched a multi-disciplinary crash investigation team to Salama to establish the full circumstances leading to the crash, including vehicle inspection and compliance,” the NTSA said.
The authority also extended its condolences to those affected.
“The Authority conveys its deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and all those affected by the Salama incident,” the statement read.
The NTSA noted that the Mlima Kiu-Salama stretch is a recognised accident blackspot and that recommendations to address safety concerns along that corridor had already been put forward.
While urging the public to await the findings, the authority called on all road users to observe caution in the meantime.
“While investigations into this crash continue, we call upon all motorists to exercise extreme caution, avoid dangerous overtaking, and strictly observe lane discipline,” the statement said.
Survivors Treated at Sultan Hamud Hospital
Injured survivors were taken to Sultan Hamud Sub-county Hospital, where medical superintendent Dr Stephen Mwangangi confirmed that six people had received treatment and been discharged.
The bodies of those who died were transported to nearby mortuaries, pending post-mortem examinations and formal identification by their families.
Traffic police officers at the scene subsequently cleared the wreckage from the highway to restore the flow of traffic along the busy corridor.
The crash is the latest in a series of fatal accidents to strike the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway over the past two months, further intensifying public scrutiny of road safety standards on one of Kenya’s most heavily trafficked routes.
