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A Super Metro bus was set ablaze along the Thika Superhighway on Monday, September 1, 2025, following a tragic accident that claimed the life of a boda boda rider, sparking outrage among local operators.
The incident, which occurred along the busy highway connecting Nairobi to Thika, caused significant traffic disruptions and heightened tensions in the area.
The bus, operated by the Super Metro Sacco, was engulfed in flames after allegedly knocking down and killing a motorcycle rider.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the accident prompted irate boda boda operators to descend on the vehicle, setting it alight in a retaliatory act.
Super Metro bus torched on Thika Superhighway after fatal accident
Images circulating online showed the bus completely consumed by fire as a crowd gathered, watching the scene unfold.
By Monday evening, the vehicle was burnt beyond repair, though no additional injuries were reported from the incident itself.
Recent incidents involving Super Metro vehicles have drawn increased scrutiny to the Sacco’s operations, with this latest event adding to a string of controversies.
Super Metro, a prominent matatu operator known for its disciplined fleet and streamlined services, has faced multiple challenges in 2025.
Earlier this year, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) temporarily suspended the Sacco’s operating license over non-compliance issues, though the suspension was lifted in March following an appeal.
Other incidents, including a March 12 accident where a passenger was allegedly thrown from a moving bus over an unpaid fare and a March 29 crash that saw a Super Metro bus overturn, have fueled public criticism of the company’s safety standards.
The torching of the bus echoes a similar incident in August 2018, when boda boda riders set a Nairobi bus on fire along the same highway after it reportedly struck a motorcyclist.
Such acts of mob justice highlight ongoing tensions between motorists and boda boda riders, who often share the busy highway under precarious conditions.
2025 Road Accident Statistics
Since January of this year, Kenyan roads have claimed 2,933 lives.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir revealed that in response, the government has mobilized a multi-agency task force to investigate accident hot spots.
Their assignment is to conduct safety audits and reconstruct crash scenes to pinpoint structural and behavioural hazards.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir speaking at a past forum
This initiative is part of a broader strategy anchored in Kenya’s National Road Safety Action Plan 2024–2028. It targets legislative reforms, tougher rules for school transportation and commercial vehicles, enhanced drunk-driving regulations, stricter vehicle inspections, and revised provisions in the Traffic Act.
Major infrastructure upgrades are also underway, including redesigning Nithi Bridge and converting the Rironi, Mau Summit Road into a dual carriageway, both expected to reduce collision risk significantly.
Additionally, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is ramping up public education campaigns.
These are aimed at reshaping driver and pedestrian behaviour, emphasizing adherence to speed limits, regular vehicle maintenance, proper licensing, and general road etiquette.
CS Chirchir underlined that road accidents are not inevitable, but preventable. He encouraged every road user, from motorists and cyclists to pedestrians and boda-boda riders, to play their part.