A burial day for a family in Murang’a County turned tragic after a speeding lorry knocked down two sisters along the Thika-Kenol Highway in Kabati.
The duo was on their way to Montezuma Funeral Home on Friday, July 18, morning to bring the body of a deceased person home when the fatal crash occurred.
One of the women died on the spot, while the other sustained severe injuries and tragically lost both legs.
Preliminary reports indicate that the two victims were blood sisters.
According to eyewitnesses, the women were attempting to cross the busy highway when the lorry struck them.
Traffic disrupted after an accident near Montezuma Morgue
The incident caused a traffic snarl-up along the busy highway, as vehicles slowed down and a crowd quickly gathered at the scene.
Videos seen by The Kenya Times showed a long queue of vehicles inching forward while mourners—some of whom had arrived at the funeral home—watched in shock and disbelief. The lorry involved in the accident was also still at the scene.
The incident has reignited concerns about pedestrian safety, with locals pointing out the lack of proper crossing infrastructure in the area.
Authorities were yet to arrive at the scene by the time of publication.
The fatal crash is among recent road accidents that have happened this month which left a trail of fatalities and casualties. Last week, a fatal road accident claimed the lives of seven people along the Keroka–Sotik road in Nyamira County.
The tragic incident occurred near the Kijauri area when a truck overturned on Friday afternoon, leaving a matatu completely dismantled.
Images from the scene showed the front of the car severely crushed and defaced.
The lorry was carrying logs and lost control, crashing into vehicles, pedestrians, and roadside hawkers.
Also Read: Seven People Die in Nyamira Road Accident
Kijauri in Nyamira County has emerged as a hotspot following a series of accidents along the Sotik–Keroka stretch.
NTSA statistics on accidents
Data by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) revealed that approximately 12 Kenyans lost their lives in road accidents in the 2024/25 financial year.
According to statistics released by the Authority, 3,581 fatalities were recorded from June 2024 to March 2025, a 10 per cent increase compared to the 2023/24 financial year.
8,874 Kenyans incurred serious injuries while 5,620 sustained slight injuries from road accidents. In road-user categories, pedestrians recorded the highest fatality at 1,342, followed by motorcyclists at 939, passengers at 604, pillion passengers at 357, drivers at 285 and pedal cyclists at 54.
Also Read: NTSA Reveals Number of Road Accident Deaths in 2025
While analyzing from January to March 2025, NTSA recorded 1,139 fatalities, a decrease of 2.5 per cent compared to 2024 which had a total of 1,168 fatalities.
The total number of serious injuries decreased by 481, representing a decrease of 14.6 per cent.
During the period, pedestrians remain the leading category of road users dying as a result of road crashes, accounting for 36.9 per cent of all traffic-related deaths in 2025, compared to 37.1 per cent in 2024.
The vulnerable road user group of pedestrians, pedal cyclists, pillion passengers and motorcyclists jointly contributed to a total of 76.1 per cent of all road traffic crash-related deaths.
In terms of Counties, Nairobi recorded the highest number of fatalities countrywide between January and March 2025, with a total of 138 deaths.
The majority of the fatalities occurred along Thika Superhighway, Mombasa Road, Outering Road and Lang’ata Road. Counties with low fatalities were Mandera, Marsabit and Samburu which had one fatality in 2025.
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