Easy Coach Bus Crashes at Salgaa Blackspot, 28 Passengers Injured in Collision with Trailer

Nakuru County, Kenya – Twenty-eight passengers sustained injuries when an Easy Coach bus traveling from Nairobi to Kisumu crashed into a trailer along the Nakuru-Mau Summit highway, just beyond the notorious Salgaa stretch, on Monday evening.

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Emergency response teams from the Kenya Red Cross arrived swiftly at the accident scene to provide medical assistance to the victims. Twelve passengers who suffered severe injuries were immediately transported to medical facilities in Nakuru town for specialized treatment, while sixteen others received on-site medical attention for minor injuries before being released.

Despite initial unconfirmed reports suggesting fatalities, police authorities at the scene confirmed that no deaths resulted from the collision. Officers worked methodically to extract passengers trapped inside the mangled wreckage and coordinate the emergency response.

Traffic police cleared the accident site after several hours, allowing vehicles that had built up along the busy highway to resume their journeys. The cause of the collision remains under investigation, with authorities yet to issue an official statement on what led to the crash.

Second Easy Coach Incident in Two Days

This accident marks the second involving an Easy Coach vehicle within a 24-hour period. On Sunday, another bus belonging to the same company was involved in a separate crash near Matunda that claimed one life and left multiple passengers nursing injuries.

The back-to-back incidents involving the popular public service vehicle operator have raised fresh questions about fleet maintenance, driver fatigue, and safety protocols, particularly during the busy holiday travel season when passenger volumes surge significantly.

Salgaa’s Deadly Reputation Persists

The Salgaa area, situated along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway section, has earned an infamous reputation as one of Kenya’s most dangerous road segments. The stretch has witnessed countless accidents over the years, claiming hundreds of lives and leaving thousands injured.

Road safety experts attribute the high accident frequency at Salgaa to multiple factors including sharp corners, steep gradients, heavy commercial vehicle traffic, speeding, and driver fatigue on the long-distance route. Despite numerous government interventions—including road signage improvements, speed bumps, and increased traffic police presence—the location continues to record regular crashes.

Holiday Season Safety Concerns

The latest collision comes during a period of heightened road usage as Kenyans travel for year-end festivities and family gatherings. Transport authorities typically record increased accident rates during December due to higher traffic volumes, rushed journeys, and driver fatigue from extended working hours to meet passenger demand.

The National Transport and Safety Authority has repeatedly urged public service vehicle operators to ensure their fleets undergo thorough mechanical inspections before long-distance travel and to enforce strict rest periods for drivers.

As investigations into Monday’s crash continue, attention now turns to Easy Coach’s safety record and whether regulatory authorities will take enforcement action following the two consecutive accidents involving the company’s buses.

Passengers who sustained serious injuries remain under medical observation at Nakuru Level Five Hospital and private facilities in the town, with medical staff describing their conditions as stable but requiring continued monitoring.

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