A reckless overtaking by a lorry on a stretch with a continuous strip and poor visibility, the extremely violent impact against a matatu full of people, many of whom had attended a wedding party. Almost no one was saved on Friday 8 July on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway between Mariakani and Voi, in the Samburu-Taru area between Mariakani and Voi, in one of the most serious accidents of 2022. Twenty people lost their lives and the injured, who were transported to the Mariakani hospital immediately appeared to be in serious condition.
Confirming the accident, Kwale County police commander Josephat Kinyua said the 15 passengers died on the spot while the other five died from their injuries.
Local authorities have reconstructed the dynamics of the accident: the articulated truck that was trying to overtake another vehicle at high speed allegedly collided with the matatu after losing control. Both drivers died instantly. 
"The trailer was coming from the opposite direction and proceeding at high speed, while the driver was trying to overtake at Mwembeni village, lost control and collided with the matatu," Kinyua confirmed. 
It took several hours to recover the bodies trapped in the matatu and identification of the victims is still ongoing.
Witnesses of the frightening accident confirmed that the truck driver's reckless manoeuvre took place in an area where overtaking would not be allowed.
According to statistics from the NTSA published in June 2022, 1,912 people have died in road accidents since January this year, and the road safety agency has expressed fears that the number of accidents will increase compared to 2021.
Many of these accidents involved vehicles owned by politicians travelling around the country for their election campaigns. In recent weeks, some vehicles supporting politicians have run over pedestrians near designated rally sites.
Government spokesperson, Cyrus Oguna, warned candidates against using unfit and unlicensed vehicles. 
"For their part, motorcyclists and motorists should ride within the stipulated speeds and not carry excessive number of passengers," Oguna said. "Considering that schools are on their closing days, motorcyclists and motorists who are helping in the campaign of their candidates are urged not to ride near schools to ensure the safety of our children.