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The last one week has been a tragic one for many Kenyan families that have lost their loved ones in accidents across the country, leaving behind a nation that is mourning.
From air to rail and road accidents Kenya has seen it all in one week with several lives lost, leaving behind grieving families and Kenyans asking questions with the Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir missing in action.
So loud has his silence been that a search does not unearth even a condolence message or wishes for quick recovery.
Even the usual statement promising rallying all relevant agencies to swing into action to tame road carnage was conspicuously missing from the CS, an unusual occurrence for the man whose docket oversees transport.
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Kenyan highways have turned into death traps despite the numerous promises and flurry of activities that follow every other tragedy, only that this time the CS in charge is silent.
Perhaps he is working in silence and letting the results speak for him but what the country has witnessed over the last seven days is telling a concerning story.
Fatal accidents reported this week
Kisumu accident: 26 people lost their lives with 31 others battling for their lives in hospital after a bus ferrying mourners was involved in an accident at Coptic area of the Kisumu Kakamega highway on Friday.
Kitengela crash: Eight people died in a grisly road accident at Korompoi, Kitengela aling the Nairobi-Namanga road on Saturday morning.
A 14-seater matatu ferrying passengers collided head-on with a lorry heading in the opposite direction.
Naivasha accident: Nine people died with scores others rushed to hospital in critical condition after a train rammed into a bus belonging to Kenya Pipeline Company.
The train rammed into the bus as it was crossing the railway line and dragged it for more than 200 meters, leaving a trail of destruction in the accident that happened on Thursday, August 7.
Amref Plane crash: An air ambulance belonging to MAREF crashed into a building in Nairobi’s Mwihoko area, killing six people. This is the latest aviation tragedy in the country, coming after several others that put Kenya’s aviation safety in focus.
Kibwezi-Kitui road accident: Four people perished in a grisly road accident along the Kibwezi-Kitui road in Makueni county on Saturday, August 9 with one other rushed to hospital in critical condition.
Maai Mahiu road accident: A trailer whose brakes reportedly failed rammed into several vehicles, including a bus belonging to Ena coach at Maai Mahiu leaving several people dead and many others injured.
Ena coach confirmed in a statement that two passengers who were in the bus died in the accident.
Ena Coach bus which was involved in an accident at Mai Mahiu on August 10, 2025
Casualties and survivors who were in the other vehicles remains unclear.
A number of the accidents happened at notorious blackspots with some residents blaming agencies for sleeping on the job.
Case in point is in where residents blamed road agencies for failing to mark the road and erect speed bumps in the area which is a black spot and where similar accidents have been reported, including two weeks ago.
Leading causes of accidents
A report released by the National Transport and Safety Authority in July last year blamed the road carnage reported across the country on thee main factors:
Human behaviour, including fatigue, driving while intoxicated, speeding violations, flouting traffic rules, negligence, and pedestrian-related incidents.
Vehicle mechanical conditions such as failure of breaks, unroadworthy vehicles.
Road infrastructure: The report notes that “issues like ineffective guardrails, insufficient signage, inconsistent speed limits, and the absence of designated pedestrian crossings contribute to confusion and accidents on Kenyan roads”.
“Speeding reduces reaction time and exacerbates crash severity, while fatigue impairs driver alertness,” the report read in part.
Promise of action vs results
By now, Kenyans are probably tired of the tough talk and promises of action with little to show for it that and only last up to the next tragedy when new ones are issued.
The previous was made by the then Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen at a time when Kenya was witnessing a surge in fatal crashes which claimed thousands of lives and left many more injured.
Wreckage of a matatu that was involved in a crash on Namanga Road which claimed 8 lives on August 9, 2025
With Davis Chirchir now in charge, eyes are on him as the nation mourns its sons and daughters with hope that those responsible will act swiftly to reverse the trend.