Several passengers were injured on Thursday night when a 33-seater matatu overturned at Umoja Junction on Kangundo Road in eastern Nairobi, with some of them trapped beneath the wreckage before rescuers pulled them out. The crash, reported by Kenyans.co.ke, Eastleigh Voice and People Daily on Friday morning, came on a day when another accident on Ngong Road claimed three lives.

The vehicle, operated by Forward Sacco, overturned at about 10pm near the Kangundo Road Fire Station while reportedly carrying passengers home. Kenyans.co.ke described it as a 33-seater, although the web address of its report refers to a 32-seater.

Rescue at the scene

Members of the public and rescuers rushed to the scene and worked to free passengers who were pinned under the matatu. The injured were taken to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital in Umoja, the main public referral facility serving the Eastlands area.

Police later arrived and arranged for the wreckage to be towed off the road. By Friday morning, the exact number of people injured had not been confirmed, and no official statement on the condition of the victims had been released. No deaths had been reported.

Footage points to speeding

The cause of the crash has not been officially established. However, video clips that circulated on social media before the accident appeared to show the matatu speeding along the highway and overtaking several vehicles. In the footage, some passengers can be heard shouting while others have their hands hanging out of the windows.

Police said investigations would determine what caused the vehicle to overturn. Forward Sacco had not publicly commented on the incident by the time of publication.

Kangundo Road is one of the busiest commuter routes in Eastlands, linking estates such as Umoja, Kayole, Njiru and Ruai to the rest of the city. Residents have long complained of reckless overtaking and speeding by public service vehicles on the stretch, especially at night when traffic thins out.

A deadly day on Nairobi roads

The Umoja crash came hours after a separate fatal accident on Ngong Road, near the Kenol area and the new Talanta Stadium. At around 7:25am on Thursday, a saloon car reportedly lost control at high speed, mounted the pavement and knocked down a woman waiting for a matatu. Three people died in that crash, according to Kenyans.co.ke, and witnesses said boda boda riders later set the wreckage on fire.

The two incidents add to a worrying national picture. Data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) cited by Eastleigh Voice and Kenyans.co.ke shows:

  • 3,995 people were killed in road crashes between January 1 and October 4, 2026.
  • That works out to an average of about 14 deaths every day.
  • The toll has kept rising despite repeated enforcement drives on major roads.

Crackdown continues

The NTSA, working with the National Police Service, has been running crackdowns on unroadworthy vehicles and reckless drivers on major roads and highways across Nairobi. In one recent night operation on the Southern Bypass, 13 vehicles were detained for safety violations including cracked windscreens and faulty headlights. The authority has also warned motorists about fake traffic offence notices being sent by fraudsters during the ongoing enforcement drive.

What happens next

Traffic police are expected to examine the wreck and record statements from passengers and witnesses to establish whether speeding, mechanical failure or another factor caused the crash. Depending on the findings, the driver could face charges, and the NTSA has powers to suspend the licences of vehicles or saccos found to be in breach of safety rules. Families looking for passengers who were on board have been directed to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke (Eric Ezekiel; social media footage). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.