Highway Death Toll Rises As Nine Die In Pre-dawn Naivasha Crash

Kenya, 5 January 2026 - Kenya’s deadly road safety crisis came into sharp focus again early Monday after nine people, including two children, were killed in a pre-dawn crash along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway near Naivasha.

The 1am accident occurred near Kayole Estate, about 10 kilometres from Naivasha town, involving a Greenline bus travelling to Nairobi from Western Kenya and an oncoming Nissan matatu. 

Police said six passengers died instantly at the scene, while three others — among them two minors — were pronounced dead on arrival at Naivasha Sub-County Hospital.

Several other occupants of the two vehicles sustained injuries and were rushed to hospital as emergency teams responded to the scene.

Naivasha Director of Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO) Isaac Kiama confirmed the incident, noting that the bodies had been transferred to a local mortuary and the mangled vehicles towed to a nearby police station to facilitate investigations.

“We lost nine people in this accident, which is extremely unfortunate. The increasing number of fatalities on our roads is worrying, and we are urging drivers to exercise maximum caution,” Kiama said.