NTSA wants road crashes declared national disaster after deadly Mtito Andei crash

NAIROBI, Kenya, October 25 — The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has called for road crashes to be declared a national disaster following a head-on collision at Mtito Andei that killed 23 people and injured 25 others, renewing calls for urgent government action to curb road fatalities.

The authority said Kenya’s road safety crisis had reached emergency levels, with approximately 20,000 crashes claiming more than 5,000 lives annually, and urged the government to mobilise resources and coordinate enforcement across public institutions.

In its appeal, NTSA said declaring road crashes a national disaster would enable the government to mobilise adequate funding, coordinate interventions and impose measurable safety targets across road agencies, the National Police Service, the health sector and county governments.

“Road safety is not just a transport issue; it is a national development and security priority,” the authority said.

The latest crash occurred at around 7:45 a.m. on Sunday at Kanga, about 10 kilometres east of Mtito Andei along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, when a church bus collided head-on with a commercial truck.

According to the National Police Service, the bus, belonging to Power of the Word Church International, was carrying 45 passengers from Western Kenya towards Mombasa after a burial ceremony.

The dead comprised 12 women, 10 men and one juvenile, while 25 survivors sustained injuries, some of them critical.

The injured were taken to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital and Kambu Level 4 Hospital for treatment.

Preliminary accounts indicate that the bus was overtaking several vehicles shortly before the collision, although investigations are ongoing to establish the exact cause.

The call comes amid renewed concern over repeated fatal crashes along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, with Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir pointing to another deadly collision earlier this month.

In a statement, Chirchir said 17 people died in a crash at Salama, in the Mtito Andei area, on October 3, warning that recurring tragedies demanded coordinated and sustained action.

“These repeated tragedies are unacceptable. Road crashes continue to claim innocent lives, destroy families, overwhelm our health system and undermine national economic productivity,” he said.

“We cannot continue treating road safety as business as usual. The scale of the loss demands decisive, coordinated and sustained action.”

Chirchir said the Ministry of Roads and Transport would work with Parliament, the Judiciary, the National Police Service, county governments and other stakeholders to strengthen road safety interventions and accountability.

The planned measures include targeted improvements to accident black spots, intensified enforcement against dangerous driving and reckless overtaking, and stronger training and oversight of drivers operating commercial and public service vehicles.

The Ministry also plans to engage Parliament and the Judiciary on implementation challenges involving the Commercial Vehicle Regulations 2026, Vehicle Inspection Regulations 2026 and School Transport Regulations 2026.

Chirchir said the frameworks were important for improving vehicle roadworthiness, driver accountability, fatigue management and the safe operation of commercial and public service vehicles.