Four people have been killed following a head-on collision involving two trucks at Kiunduani Town along the busy Mombasa–Nairobi Highway.
The crash triggered a massive fire that engulfed both trucks, leaving the vehicles completely ablaze.
The victims, who reportedly sustained severe burns, were the two truck drivers, a woman and her child who were travelling in one of the trucks.
Police have launched investigations to establish the circumstances that led to the head-on collision, including what may have caused the two heavy commercial vehicles to collide.
The latest tragedy adds to a growing list of deadly accidents recorded along the Nairobi–Mombasa Highway this year, raising fresh concerns over road safety on one of the country's busiest transport corridors.
On October 3, 17 Catholic pilgrims from St Mathias Mulumba Catholic Parish in Mikindani, Mombasa, died in a multi-vehicle collision at Mlima Kiu near Salama in Makueni County.
The pilgrims were travelling to the National Shrine in Subukia, Nakuru County, for the annual National Prayer Day when their hired Toyota Hiace was involved in the crash.
Barely three weeks later, on October 25, another tragedy struck at Kanga near Mtito Andei when a bus belonging to Power of the Word Church International collided head-on with a truck, killing 24 people and leaving several others injured.
The bus was carrying members of the Mombasa Pastors Fellowship who were returning home after attending the burial of a fellow cleric in Kakamega County. Three pastors were among those killed.
The two church-related accidents claimed a combined 41 lives within three weeks, highlighting the dangers faced by motorists and passengers using the highway.
Earlier, on September 23, two people died and six others were seriously injured when a Dreamline bus rammed into a stationary trailer near Taru and Mackinnon Road.
In July, six people died and 41 others were injured in a collision involving a Tahmeed bus and two trucks in the Kapiti area of Machakos County.
The highway also recorded several fatalities in February, including a February 21 crash at Mlima Kiu involving a matatu and a lorry, which left three people dead and 11 others injured.
The recurring accidents have intensified calls for urgent interventions to improve safety along the highway, particularly at accident-prone sections in Makueni County.
Among the proposed measures is the expansion of the 461-kilometre highway into a dual carriageway to ease congestion, reduce dangerous overtaking and minimise head-on collisions.
Motorists have also been urged to observe traffic regulations, avoid speeding and exercise caution when overtaking, especially when driving at night and along sections with limited visibility.
The latest Kiunduani crash is likely to renew scrutiny of safety measures along the highway as authorities continue investigating the circumstances behind the latest loss of life.
