Seventeen pilgrims travelling from Mikindani Catholic Parish in Mombasa to the Subukia Shrine in Nakuru have been identified as the people who died in the road crash along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway at Salama, Makueni County.
Police also clarified that the driver of the Howo truck did not die as earlier reported.
The driver sustained serious injuries and was initially taken to Sultan Hamud Hospital before being transferred to Makueni Level 6 Hospital for further treatment.
The other vehicle involved in the crash, Toyota Hiace was a private van for hire contracted by Mikindani Catholic Parish to transport pilgrims to Subukia.
According to a passenger manifest provided by the parish priest, Father Patrick Maingi, the 17 occupants of the van were Jane Manga, Janet Miito, Florence Atieno, Josephat Mekonge, Hilkah Orina, Linah Akinyi and Veronicah Musyimi.
Others were Martha Nzoki, Ann Mwanthi, Sarapia Mwarimbo, Scholastica Ochiend, Catherine Joseph, Beatrice Oluoch, Veronicah Mgandi, Regina Mwai, Samuel Muigai and Samuel Mwanyasi, the driver of the Toyota Hiace.
Police said all 17 occupants died in the crash.
Two other passengers who had been travelling in a Toyota Noah involved in the accident were rushed to hospital for treatment and were later discharged.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash are ongoing.
The postmortem examinations on the bodies of 17 people who died in the road accident at Mlima Kiu along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway are expected to be conducted on Sunday at Sultan Hamud Hospital in Makueni County.
Sultan Hamud Hospital administrator Dr Stephen Mwangangi said the victims’ families had already arrived at the facility ahead of the exercise.
According to Mwangangi, once the postmortem examinations are completed, the bodies will be transported to Mombasa County.
The 17 victims were Catholic pilgrims travelling to the National Shrine in Subukia for National Prayer Day when the accident occurred in the Salama area in the early hours of Saturday.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) said several other people were injured in the crash, which involved several vehicles along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.
The authority dispatched a team to the scene to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident and assess the condition of the vehicles involved.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa confirmed that those killed were pilgrims travelling to Subukia. The accident occurred along a section of the highway that NTSA has identified as a black spot, with the authority saying it had previously made road safety recommendations concerning the area.
President William Ruto also sent his condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives.
Kenya officially records about 4,000 road deaths annually, although the government’s road safety action plan estimates that the actual toll could be significantly higher due to underreporting.
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