The government will intensify traffic enforcement and strengthen oversight of commercial and public service vehicle drivers following a road crash that claimed at least 24 lives along the Nairobi–Mombasa Highway.
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said in a statement on Sunday that the government would work with relevant agencies to crack down on dangerous driving, reckless overtaking, speeding and other traffic violations.
This follows a head-on collision between a passenger bus belonging to Power of the Word Church International, Mombasa, and a commercial cement tipper truck at Kanga, about 10 kilometres east of Mtito Andei, on Sunday morning.
Preliminary reports indicate the crash occurred at around 7:45 a.m., with improper overtaking suspected to have contributed to the collision. Investigations are ongoing to establish the exact cause.
The injured were taken to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital and Kambu Level 4 Hospital for treatment.
Chirchir said the government would also strengthen funding for road safety infrastructure, including identifying and addressing accident black spots through targeted engineering interventions.
"We will strengthen the black spot management programme to identify and address high-risk road sections through targeted engineering interventions and other infrastructure improvements," he said.
He said the Ministry would work with Parliament, the Judiciary, the National Police Service, county governments and other stakeholders to improve road safety and ensure accountability.
“These repeated tragedies are unacceptable. Road crashes continue to claim innocent lives, destroy families, overwhelm our health system and undermine national economic productivity,” Chirchir said.
The Cabinet Secretary noted that the latest tragedy came weeks after 17 people died in a road crash at Salama, Mtito Andei, on October 3.
He said the government would also pursue stronger implementation of the Commercial Vehicle Regulations 2026, Vehicle Inspection Regulations 2026 and School Transport Regulations 2026.
“These regulatory frameworks are critical to strengthening vehicle roadworthiness, driver accountability, fatigue management and the safe operation of commercial and public service vehicles,” he said.
Chirchir added that the government would pursue a coordinated national approach involving road agencies, law enforcement, the health sector and county governments, with clear responsibilities and measurable targets to reduce road deaths.