Five tourists of Indian descent lost their lives on Monday in a devastating road accident along the Ol Jororok–Nakuru Road in Nyandarua County after the vehicle they were travelling in lost control and rolled multiple times into a ditch.
According to reports, the tour bus was ferrying 28 tourists, three local guides, and a driver to Panari Resort in Nyahururu when the accident occurred near the Gichaka area.
Witnesses reported that the bus was moving steadily but veered off the road suddenly after rainfall began. It eventually hit a tree and overturned several times. Social media footage from the scene showed the bus’s roof completely torn off, underscoring the severity of the crash.
Nyandarua County Police Commander Stella Cherono confirmed that 25 individuals, including the five deceased, had been accounted for. However, three passengers remain unaccounted for, and search efforts are ongoing.
“So far, 25 tourists have been accounted for, including the five fatalities. A search is underway for the other three,” Cherono stated.
Police have launched investigations to establish the precise cause of the accident.
The crash comes amid growing concerns over road safety in Kenya. Recent data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) shows that 1,139 people died in road crashes between January and March 2025, slightly fewer than the 1,166 fatalities reported during the same period in 2024.
Pedestrians made up the highest number of fatalities at 420, followed by 301 motorcyclists. Among the deceased were also 189 passengers, 130 pillion riders, 83 drivers, and 16 cyclists.
During the first quarter of the year, a total of 5,856 people were involved in road crashes, with 3,316 sustaining serious injuries and 2,693 reporting minor injuries. This marked a drop of 1,908 incidents compared to the same period last year.
In response, NTSA has renewed its calls for strict compliance with traffic laws and intensified enforcement to curb the rising number of road accidents and fatalities across the country.
