Seventeen people, nearly all Catholic pilgrims from Mombasa, died at Mlima Kiu in Salama, Makueni County, shortly after midnight on Saturday 3 October (Al Jazeera, The Standard, Capital FM). They were in a Toyota Hiace van hired by Mikindani Catholic Parish, heading to the National Shrine at Subukia for National Prayer Day. Police said a lorry heading to Mombasa tried to overtake a line of vehicles, clipped another truck, veered into the climbing lane and hit the van head-on. The driver of the lorry survived with serious injuries and was taken to Makueni Level 6 Hospital, after early reports that he had died. Reports differ on the time and on whether the dead included the van driver.
Mlima Kiu–Salama is a known danger point on Kenya's busiest freight road, and the dead were travelling to a religious event. The crash revives the question of overnight overtaking, lorry maintenance and enforcement on the Mombasa highway.
If you travel the Nairobi–Mombasa highway, especially at night, expect enforcement and delays around Salama. Avoid overtaking on climbing sections, and check that long-distance vehicles you hire are roadworthy.
Safety officials point to dangerous overtaking and say the investigation will establish whether mechanical failure played a part.
Critics say a stretch already labelled a black spot needed physical fixes such as a barrier, dedicated lanes or speed enforcement long before this crash.
Watch what the National Transport and Safety Authority publishes on cause, and whether the Makueni stretch gets engineering changes. Until then, the cause is not established; one report of brake failure is unconfirmed.
Al Jazeera, The Standard, Capital FM (3–4 Oct 2026)
Seventeen Catholic pilgrims die in a crash at Salama on the Nairobi–Mombasa highway
The group from Mombasa was heading to the national shrine at Subukia for National Prayer Day. Police say a truck overtaking a line of vehicles hit their van; the safety authority has opened an investigation.
Seventeen people, nearly all of them Catholic pilgrims from Mombasa, were killed at Mlima Kiu in Salama, Makueni County, shortly after midnight on Saturday 3 October, according to Al Jazeera, The Standard and Capital FM. They were travelling in a Toyota Hiace van hired by Mikindani Catholic Parish to the National Shrine at Subukia for National Prayer Day. Police said a lorry heading towards Mombasa tried to overtake a line of vehicles, clipped another truck, veered into the climbing lane and hit the van head-on. Reports differ on the exact time (about 12:10 a.m. or closer to 1 a.m.) and on whether the 17 dead included the driver.
Early reports said the truck driver had died; police later said he survived with serious injuries and was taken to Makueni Level 6 Hospital. One report suspected brake failure on a lorry carrying ballast, which police have not confirmed. The National Transport and Safety Authority sent a crash investigation team and calls the stretch a black spot. Autopsies were set for Sultan Hamud Hospital, the Archdiocese of Mombasa held special prayers, and politicians including Rigathi Gachagua sent condolences. DailyDrop has not seen an official cause of the crash.