Kenya bus-lorry crash kills at least 22 on Nairobi-Mombasa highway
A bus carrying mourners home from a burial collided head-on with a lorry near Mtito Andei in Makueni County on Sunday, killing at least 22 people on a stretch already marked as an accident black spot.
At a glance
- At least 22 people were killed when a bus and a lorry collided head-on at Kanga, just past Mtito Andei on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, at about 7 am on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
- Some local reports put the toll at 24 after more of the injured died in hospital; Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif warned the number could still rise.
- The passengers were reportedly returning from a burial ceremony; the injured were taken to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital and some were moved to Makindu.
- The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) says the stretch is a designated accident black spot; about two weeks earlier 17 people died in another crash on the same highway.
At least 22 people were killed on Sunday morning, October 25, 2026, when a passenger bus and a lorry collided head-on on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway near Mtito Andei in Kenya's Makueni County. Police and county officials said several more passengers were critically injured, and the toll could still rise.
What happened
The crash happened at about 7 am local time (9 am Pakistan time) in the Kanga area, just past Mtito Andei town in Kibwezi East sub-county. The bus was reportedly carrying mourners returning from a burial ceremony when it struck a lorry head-on. Some passengers died at the scene; others died while being treated in hospital.
Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif confirmed the deaths and said the number of victims could increase. Later on Sunday, some local counts reached 24 after two more of the injured died. GlobeHourly is using the figure of at least 22 confirmed by police until an official final toll is released.
| Detail | What is known |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Sunday, October 25, 2026, about 7–8 am local time |
| Location | Kanga, past Mtito Andei, Kibwezi East, Makueni County |
| Road | Nairobi-Mombasa highway (A109) |
| Vehicles | Passenger bus and a lorry, head-on collision |
| Deaths | At least 22 (some local counts: 24) |
| Injured | Several, many in critical condition |
| Hospitals | Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital; some moved to Makindu |
| Cause | Under investigation |
The injured were rushed to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital, where the bodies were also taken to the mortuary. The hospital's medical superintendent, Dr Kevin Wamalwa, described it as a serious accident and said staff were attending to survivors while compiling a list of casualties. Some of the most seriously hurt were transferred to Makindu.
Early local accounts said the bus was overtaking another vehicle when it hit the lorry, but police have not confirmed this and said the circumstances were still being established. Reports also differ on which direction the bus was travelling.
Background
The Nairobi-Mombasa highway is Kenya's busiest road and the main trade artery between the port of Mombasa and the capital, carrying heavy lorry traffic bound for Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and eastern Congo. Much of it is a single carriageway, where buses and private cars overtake slow-moving trucks.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) said the stretch where Sunday's crash happened is a designated "accident black spot" and that it had already made recommendations to make it safer. The crash came only about two weeks after 17 people were killed in another accident involving several vehicles on the same highway.
Kenya records several thousand road deaths a year. Speeding, reckless overtaking, drunk driving and poorly maintained vehicles are the leading causes cited by road-safety officials, and long-distance buses carrying funeral and church groups at weekends have been involved in several of the worst recent crashes.
Reactions
County officials opened an investigation into the crash. Local reports said President William Ruto ordered fresh inspections of public service vehicles after the second mass-casualty crash on the highway in a month, though a formal statement had not been published by Sunday night. Residents and road-safety campaigners renewed calls for the long-promised dual carriageway on the route.
Why it matters
Sunday's crash is one of Kenya's deadliest road accidents of the year, and the second on the same corridor within weeks. The highway is also vital to the region's economy: delays and closures on it affect fuel, food and cargo deliveries far beyond Kenya. Repeated crashes increase pressure on the government to speed up road upgrades, enforce speed limits and tighten checks on long-distance bus operators.
What happens next
Police are expected to release the identities of the victims after families are informed, and an official final death toll. Investigators will examine both vehicles and the driver's actions to establish the cause. The NTSA is likely to face questions over why safety recommendations for the black spot had not yet been carried out.
Road safety advice for travellers
- Choose licensed bus operators and avoid overloaded vehicles.
- Wear a seat belt on long-distance buses; it is a legal requirement in Kenya.
- Report reckless driving to the NTSA or police hotlines.
- Avoid night travel on single-carriageway stretches where possible.
Questions people are asking
How many people died in the Mtito Andei bus accident?
At least 22 people were confirmed dead in the crash on Sunday, October 25, 2026, and some later counts put the toll at 24 as injured passengers died in hospital. Officials said the number could rise further.
Where did the Kenya bus crash happen?
The bus and a lorry collided head-on at Kanga, past Mtito Andei in Kibwezi East, Makueni County, on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, Kenya's main road linking the capital with the coast.
What caused the Nairobi-Mombasa highway crash?
The cause has not been officially established and police are investigating. Early local accounts said the bus may have been overtaking when it hit the lorry, but this has not been confirmed.
