At least 12 people have been confirmed dead following an accident involving a 14-seater matatu and a lorry at the Arimi area along the Njoro-Elburgon Road in Nakuru County.

The accident occurred on Thursday evening at around 8 p.m. after the lorry lost control and rammed into the matatu full of passengers, killing 12 people on the spot.

Following the accident, a team of rescuers from the Nakuru County Disaster Management team and area traffic police officers arrived at the scene and helped remove the victims from the wreckage.

While confirming the incident, Nakuru County Commissioner Loyford Kibaara revealed that the lorry collided with the matatu, killing 12 and leaving one person nursing critical injuries.

On the other hand, the white truck was recorded leaning on one side across the road and damaged on its front side, with residents spotted surrounding the scene.

The deceased were taken to the Molo Sub-County Hospital, awaiting identification. Meanwhile, police have since launched investigations to establish the root cause of the accident.

The latest accident adds to the number of road crashes witnessed across the country this week. The Njoro-Elburgon road carnage comes hardly two days after several people sustained injuries in Nairobi's Githurai 45 area after being involved in an accident.

The Githurai 45 accident occurred on Wednesday, May 7, after a matatu travelling from Nairobi's central business district to Thika lost control and rammed into pedestrians. 

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According to Kasarani Sub-County Police Commander Emmanuel Rono, the accident left three passengers nursing serious injuries while nine others were treated for minor injuries.

Meanwhile, data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) revealed that at least 1,139 people died as a result of road crashes in Kenya between January 1 and March 31, 2025.

The number is a slight decrease compared to the 1,166 deaths recorded in 2024, with NTSA highlighting that pedestrians were the most affected.