Two injured as tanker explodes at Sachangwan, highway closed

NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 6 – A fuel tanker exploded shortly after midnight at Sachangwan along the Salgaa-Nakuru stretch of the Nakuru-Eldoret highway, prompting an emergency response and the temporary closure of a section of the busy highway.

The Kenya Red Cross said its emergency team responded to the incident and attended to two casualties as a multi-agency team moved in to contain the fire.

The organisation said the highway had been closed at Kibunja and Soilo interchange to facilitate emergency operations and protect motorists from the scene.

“A fuel tanker exploded shortly after midnight at Sachangwan, along the Salgaa-Nakuru stretch of the Nakuru-Eldoret highway. Our team attended to two casualties, and a multi-agency team has contained the fire,” the Kenya Red Cross said.

Motorists using the Nakuru-Eldoret highway were advised to seek alternative routes as emergency teams continued operations at the scene.

The incident occurred near the General Service Unit (GSU) camp at Sachangwan, with videos from the scene showing a large fireball lighting up the area shortly after midnight. Initial reports did not establish what caused the tanker to explode.

Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi said investigations were underway, with emergency teams also assessing the scene to establish whether there were additional casualties.

The latest incident has renewed attention on the safety of the Salgaa-Sachangwan section, which has long been identified among Kenya’s road accident blackspots.

A government report tabled in Parliament lists Salgaa, Sachangwan, Migaa and Soysambu among road traffic accident hotspots in Nakuru County. The report also identifies planned safety interventions at Kibunja, including an emergency runaway truck ramp, a lorry brake-temperature checking point and a holding yard.

The area also carries a grim history of tanker-related disasters. In January 2009, a petrol tanker overturned at Sachangwan and spilled fuel, attracting members of the public who gathered at the scene. The tanker subsequently caught fire, killing more than 100 people and leaving many others with severe burns. The tragedy remains one of Kenya’s worst road disasters.

The latest explosion also comes less than three weeks after another deadly tanker fire on the Eldoret-Webuye highway in Uasin Gishu County. In that incident, a tanker overturned following a collision with a saloon car, after which members of the public gathered around the leaking vehicle. The tanker later exploded, killing at least three people and injuring more than 20 others, according to police and hospital officials.

Motorists have been urged to avoid the affected section, follow directions from traffic officers and emergency personnel, and use alternative routes until the highway is declared safe and reopened.