On the night of Monday, November 4, a tragic collision on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway claimed the lives of four people. The accident, occurring near Migaa at Sachangwan, involved a truck transporting firewood toward Nakuru and a canter loaded with tomatoes heading toward Eldoret.

The collision reportedly occurred around 11 p.m. when the firewood truck collided with the oncoming tomato canter. According to Migaa area chief Zachary Monari, three of the deceased were occupants of the firewood truck, while the fourth victim was in the tomato-laden canter.

One survivor sustained injuries and was taken to Coptic Hospital in Salgaa for specialized treatment. The bodies of the victims were transferred to a local mortuary, where they await examination by a government pathologist.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the accident to determine the cause and any additional circumstances surrounding the incident. The crash comes just three days after another accident nearby, where a timber-laden lorry lost its brakes and collided with a matatu at the twin bridge, injuring multiple people.

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has noted a troubling rise in road fatalities. By April this year, road accidents across Kenya had resulted in at least 1,189 deaths, a 60-person increase compared to the same period in 2023. Since the start of the year, 7,198 Kenyans have been involved in road accidents, with over 3,300 sustaining serious injuries and nearly 2,700 experiencing minor injuries.

In 2023, over 4,300 lives were lost in road accidents, while over 22,000 individuals endured injuries with lasting impacts. NTSA data indicate that around 3,000 people die in road accidents annually, with a high incidence of accidents occurring during weekends, festive seasons, and public holidays.