Kariandusi Crash Claims 16 Family Members, Shattering Generations

Sixteen members of the same extended family died on Sunday, 28 September, in a head-on collision between a matatu and a trailer near Kariandusi on the Nakuru–Nairobi highway.

The victims were travelling from Murang’a to Lanet, Nakuru County, for a family reunion when the crash occurred at approximately 12:05 pm. Police reports indicate the 14-seater matatu was attempting to overtake another vehicle when it veered into the path of the oncoming trailer. CCTV footage from a nearby petrol station confirmed the sequence of events.

Thirteen people died on the spot, while three others died from injuries in hospital. The matatu was being driven by 28-year-old Elijah Mburu, who also died in the crash. He had six years of driving experience. Two children who were in the vehicle survived, as did the trailer driver.

Among those killed were Mburu’s parents, Elijah Mburu Maina and Lydia Njeri, four of his sisters, and several other relatives, including cousins, nieces, and nephews. The family had set out early that morning, collecting relatives from Kandara, Gacharage, Nairobi’s Kasarani estate, and Naivasha. They were on their way to visit an ailing aunt, Pauline Muthoni, in Lanet.

Susan Wanjiru, 65, Mburu’s mother and the only surviving daughter from a family of twelve siblings, had planned to join the trip but changed her mind at the last minute. “I am alive through the love of my God,” she said. “I am sad, I am devastated, but I leave all to God.”

News of the tragedy reached relatives through radio broadcasts and social media. Charles Maina, a family spokesperson, said he had a sinking feeling upon hearing the news. “A cold chill swept through me. My body went weak. I instinctively knew it was my family.” His brother, Zachariah Mwangi, said, “We lost six from my own household alone—my father, my mother, my twin sisters. How do you even begin to process that?”

The family is now facing a heavy financial burden, with burial and medical costs estimated at more than Sh3.5 million. This includes transportation of the bodies, post-mortem expenses, and hospital fees. They have appealed for assistance from both the government and the public. Murang’a County Health Chief Officer Eliud Maina has confirmed that counsellors will be dispatched to support the grieving families. 

Governor Irungu Kang’ata is also expected to visit the affected households.

Police have identified the Kariandusi section of the highway as a high-risk area. Nakuru County Police Commander Emmanuel Opuru urged the Kenya National Highways Authority to expand the road and consider short-term safety interventions. 

He also emphasised the importance of lane discipline, saying that the matatu’s overtaking attempt was a likely cause of the crash.