WEKESA KULECHO
A somber mood has engulfed the Tegero area along the Narok-Bomet highway after a horrific road crash claimed four lives on the spot and left several others nursing serious injuries. The accident, which occurred near the Ololulunga/Katakala bridge on Friday, has once again brought to the fore the persistent danger plaguing one of Kenya’s most notorious black spots.
According to Narok County Police Commander Patrick Lobolia, the fatal collision involved a heavy commercial lorry heading from Bomet towards Narok and a saloon car travelling in the opposite direction. Preliminary investigations indicate that the lorry, which was reportedly speeding dangerously, veered off its lane upon approaching the scene, resulting in a violent head-on impact with the oncoming passenger vehicle.
“The impact was so severe that four people died instantly at the scene. Several others sustained life-threatening injuries and were rushed to nearby health facilities for emergency treatment,” Lobolia told journalists during a press briefing at the accident site.
While police have yet to release an official manifest, unverified reports from witnesses suggest that the lorry may have been ferrying several traders and assorted goods from the Aitong local market at the time of the accident. If confirmed, this would mean the death toll could involve small-scale business operators who frequently use such vehicles for transport due to limited public transport options in the region.
We saw bodies scattered near the wreckage of the saloon car. The lorry had also overturned, spilling goods that looked like farm produce and household items. People were wailing, trying to identify their loved ones,” recounted a local resident who arrived at the scene moments after the crash
Emergency responders from Narok County’s disaster management unit and the Kenya Red Cross arrived promptly to extricate victims trapped in the twisted metal. The injured were stabilised at the scene before being rushed to Narok County Referral Hospital and several private clinics in the area. Medical sources indicate that at least three victims are in critical condition and may require referral to higher-level facilities in Nakuru or Nairobi.
The bodies of the deceased were transported to the Narok County Referral Hospital mortuary, where identification and post-mortem examinations are expected to be conducted as police intensify their investigations. Authorities have also appealed to relatives of missing persons to visit the hospital for possible identification.
Friday’s tragedy is the latest in a long line of fatal accidents recorded along the Narok-Bomet highway and its neighbouring Narok-Mai Mahiu route. These two highways have become notorious for frequent crashes involving passenger vans, heavy trucks, and private vehicles, often attributed to overspeeding, reckless overtaking, poor road signage, and drunk driving.
Local residents and road safety campaigners have repeatedly called on the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to take urgent action. Just last month, a similar head-on collision near the same bridge left three dead, including a mother and her two children. In another incident along the Narok-Mai Mahiu highway in February, a 14-seater matatu veered off the road and rolled into a ditch, killing eight passengers on the spot.
We have lost count of how many funerals we have held because of this road. The government must install speed bumps, road cameras, and more police patrols. Every week, there is another accident,” said Michael Ole Sankale, a community elder from the Ololulunga area.
The NTSA, which recently launched a nationwide safety campaign dubbed “Usalama Barabarani” (Road Safety), has come under sharp criticism for what activists describe as “slow and reactive” measures. While the authority has deployed speed guns and increased roadside checks during peak seasons, black spots like the Tegero area remain largely unaddressed.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir acknowledged the growing road carnage during a parliamentary briefing earlier this month, revealing that Kenya records an average of 3,000 road fatalities annually—a figure he termed “unacceptably high.” He promised that the government would fast-track the installation of intelligent transport systems on major highways, including the Narok-Bomet road, by the end of the financial year.
However, for the families now mourning four loved ones in Narok, those promises offer little consolation. As police continue their investigations, questions remain:
Police commander Lobolia has urged any witnesses to the crash to come forward with information that could aid the investigation. He also issued a stern warning to commercial vehicle operators against speeding and overloading, reminding them that culprits found responsible for fatal crashes would face manslaughter charges.
Meanwhile, boda boda riders and local volunteers have been helping to clear debris and direct traffic, as wreckage removal teams work to reopen the highway fully. Traffic has been flowing slowly through one lane, causing long queues of vehicles stretching several kilometres in both directions.
As the sun set over Tegero, a small cluster of relatives could still be seen standing near the bridge, some weeping, others staring blankly at the blood-stained tarmac—a grim reminder of the fragility of life on Kenya’s roads
According to Narok County Police Commander Patrick Lobolia, the fatal collision involved a heavy commercial lorry heading from Bomet towards Narok and a saloon car travelling in the opposite direction. Preliminary investigations indicate that the lorry, which was reportedly speeding dangerously, veered off its lane upon approaching the scene, resulting in a violent head-on impact with the oncoming passenger vehicle.
“The impact was so severe that four people died instantly at the scene. Several others sustained life-threatening injuries and were rushed to nearby health facilities for emergency treatment,” Lobolia told journalists during a press briefing at the accident site.
While police have yet to release an official manifest, unverified reports from witnesses suggest that the lorry may have been ferrying several traders and assorted goods from the Aitong local market at the time of the accident. If confirmed, this would mean the death toll could involve small-scale business operators who frequently use such vehicles for transport due to limited public transport options in the region.
We saw bodies scattered near the wreckage of the saloon car. The lorry had also overturned, spilling goods that looked like farm produce and household items. People were wailing, trying to identify their loved ones,” recounted a local resident who arrived at the scene moments after the crash
Emergency responders from Narok County’s disaster management unit and the Kenya Red Cross arrived promptly to extricate victims trapped in the twisted metal. The injured were stabilised at the scene before being rushed to Narok County Referral Hospital and several private clinics in the area. Medical sources indicate that at least three victims are in critical condition and may require referral to higher-level facilities in Nakuru or Nairobi.
The bodies of the deceased were transported to the Narok County Referral Hospital mortuary, where identification and post-mortem examinations are expected to be conducted as police intensify their investigations. Authorities have also appealed to relatives of missing persons to visit the hospital for possible identification.
Friday’s tragedy is the latest in a long line of fatal accidents recorded along the Narok-Bomet highway and its neighbouring Narok-Mai Mahiu route. These two highways have become notorious for frequent crashes involving passenger vans, heavy trucks, and private vehicles, often attributed to overspeeding, reckless overtaking, poor road signage, and drunk driving.
Local residents and road safety campaigners have repeatedly called on the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to take urgent action. Just last month, a similar head-on collision near the same bridge left three dead, including a mother and her two children. In another incident along the Narok-Mai Mahiu highway in February, a 14-seater matatu veered off the road and rolled into a ditch, killing eight passengers on the spot.
We have lost count of how many funerals we have held because of this road. The government must install speed bumps, road cameras, and more police patrols. Every week, there is another accident,” said Michael Ole Sankale, a community elder from the Ololulunga area.
The NTSA, which recently launched a nationwide safety campaign dubbed “Usalama Barabarani” (Road Safety), has come under sharp criticism for what activists describe as “slow and reactive” measures. While the authority has deployed speed guns and increased roadside checks during peak seasons, black spots like the Tegero area remain largely unaddressed.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir acknowledged the growing road carnage during a parliamentary briefing earlier this month, revealing that Kenya records an average of 3,000 road fatalities annually—a figure he termed “unacceptably high.” He promised that the government would fast-track the installation of intelligent transport systems on major highways, including the Narok-Bomet road, by the end of the financial year.
However, for the families now mourning four loved ones in Narok, those promises offer little consolation. As police continue their investigations, questions remain:
Police commander Lobolia has urged any witnesses to the crash to come forward with information that could aid the investigation. He also issued a stern warning to commercial vehicle operators against speeding and overloading, reminding them that culprits found responsible for fatal crashes would face manslaughter charges.
Meanwhile, boda boda riders and local volunteers have been helping to clear debris and direct traffic, as wreckage removal teams work to reopen the highway fully. Traffic has been flowing slowly through one lane, causing long queues of vehicles stretching several kilometres in both directions.
As the sun set over Tegero, a small cluster of relatives could still be seen standing near the bridge, some weeping, others staring blankly at the blood-stained tarmac—a grim reminder of the fragility of life on Kenya’s roads
