NAIROBI, Kenya—The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has called for road safety to be declared a national disaster after a road crash in Kanga, near Mtito Andei in Makueni County, claimed 24 lives on Sunday morning.
Twenty people died at the scene, while four others succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment at nearby hospitals, following a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a lorry at around 7am.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NTSA Director General Nashon Odhiambo Kondiwa said the growing number of road deaths had reached a national emergency level, requiring urgent and coordinated government intervention.
Kondiwa said declaring road safety a national disaster would enable the government to mobilise emergency action, allocate adequate resources and coordinate enforcement of safety measures across the country.
“Road crashes have reached a national emergency level, with about 20,000 crashes claiming over 5,000 lives annually, destroying families, overwhelming our health system and eroding economic productivity,” Kondiwa said.
He added that the declaration would establish a coordinated government response with clear accountability and measurable targets involving road agencies, the National Police Service, the health sector and county governments.
“Our goal is simple: save lives, reduce fatalities and serious injuries, and protect Kenya’s human capital. Road safety is not just a transport issue; it is a national development and security priority,” he said.
The latest tragedy has renewed concerns over safety on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway, following another fatal crash in Makueni County earlier this month.
On October 3, 17 people, including 16 pilgrims from St Mathias Mulumba Catholic Church in Mikindani, Mombasa County, and their driver, died in a multi-vehicle collision at Mlima Kiu near Salama as they travelled to the Subukia National Marian Shrine in Nakuru County.
The two incidents have intensified scrutiny of road safety along the busy highway, a key transport corridor linking the Coast with Nairobi and other parts of the country.
