Fatal crashes persist along Soysambu–Kikopey corridor amid Rironi - Mau Summit Road upgrade works
The wreckage of the matatu that was involved in an accident on January
The wreckage was still smoldering when police sealed off the road, forcing traffic to crawl for kilometers in both directions. Sirens pierced the air as rescuers worked between twisted metal, counting the dead and tending to the injured.
For residents of Gilgil, the scene was painfully familiar. Another major crash. Another loss of life. Another reminder that this stretch of the Nakuru–Nairobi highway remains one of Kenya’s most dangerous.
In recent weeks, two fatal accidents involving heavy trucks have occurred in Gilgil, each claiming multiple lives. In both cases, the trucks lost control and ploughed into other vehicles. While investigators piece together the details, a troubling question hangs in the air: how many more lives must be lost before this section of road is treated as the death trap it has long been known to be?
These two accidents add to the catalogue of incidences that have occurred on this stretch of road. In the last five months, close to four fatal accidents have occurred on this stretch of road, claiming over 20 lives. Children, women and, in other cases, whole families have had their lives cut short by this menace.
These accidents have occurred in various parts of this road. On January 3, a fatal road accident occurred in the Kikopey area after a trailer lost brakes and rammed into a matatu that had passengers, killing six people instantly.
On January 19, an accident occurred in the Kariandusi area. Here also, there was a head-on collision between a commercial truck and a matatu, and in this instance, seven people lost their lives.
Kikopey, Kariandusi and Soysambu are some of the areas in Gilgil Sub County that have claimed over 20 lives in the past five months.
Wreckage of the vehicle's involved in accident at Diatomite area in Gilgil on January 19, 2026
Narrow roads, reckless driving, and unroadworthy vehicles are some of the causes of the accidents that have been highlighted by the residents living in these areas.
Last week, Mtaa Wangu highlighted the plight of the residents in Kikopey who were complaining of the narrow road in their area and, in addition, the trailers that park by the side of the road also present a challenge.
To this, the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA), through the Corridor B Director, Eng. Kibet Terigin, said that a long-term solution is being incorporated into the ongoing Rironi–Mau Summit Road expansion project, which will include the construction of service lanes.
“These service lanes will provide proper parking areas for heavy commercial vehicles and remove them entirely from the main highway,” he said, adding that the intervention is expected to improve safety along the stretch once completed.
Moving on to areas of Kariandusi and Elementaita, the issue of unroadworthy vehicles and reckless driving are a thorn in the flesh of many here. During our interviews with the locals, they were looking towards the concerned authorities to act accordingly.
John Macharia says that they have had two accidents in a span of three weeks, and yet they are not seeing any measures being put in place to curb these accidents.
“With the recent surge in accidents in these areas, I would expect the authorities to have taken a keen interest in this matter and worked towards enforcing the traffic rules among the road users; however, we haven’t seen any such action,” he says.
John says that they are aware that the Rironi–Mau Summit Road is being constructed; however, they need temporary solutions because the current situation is seeing people losing their lives, and that is unacceptable.
During a prior interview with Mtaa Wangu, the National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) Nakuru Regional Manager, John Parteroi, said that the authority is focusing on three main aspects to help curb accidents along this dangerous spot. These are public education, route familiarization, and strict enforcement of road safety rules.
“We are here to educate the public on the need to be safe and to raise their voices when drivers misbehave on the road. Secondly, the teams are further verifying full compliance, including speed, valid licenses, inspection status, and adherence to passenger limits,” he said.