The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has revealed that improper overtaking may have contributed to a fatal road crash involving a public service vehicle (PSV) and a commercial vehicle along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway on Sunday, October 25.

In a statement, NTSA confirmed the incident and expressed regret over the loss of lives.

"The Authority deeply regrets to confirm a fatal road traffic crash that occurred today, Sunday, 25th October 2026, at Kanga area, near Mtito Andei along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway," the statement read.

The crash involved a PSV and a commercial vehicle, with preliminary findings pointing to a head-on collision. NTSA said investigators suspected that an overtaking manoeuvre may have played a role in the accident.

"Unfortunately, fatalities have been confirmed, and several other passengers have sustained injuries," the statement added.

NTSA said investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the collision, with its crash investigation team working alongside the police.

"Preliminary reports indicate that the vehicles collided head-on and suggest that improper overtaking may have contributed to the crash," the statement further read.

 NTSA said the joint investigation would establish what led to the fatal crash as authorities continued to piece together the events preceding the collision.

"The NTSA crash investigation team is collaborating with the police to establish the full circumstances that led to the crash," the statement concluded.

Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif had earlier confirmed 20 fatalities before the toll rose to 22.

The bus involved in the crash belonged to a church, and those on board were returning home from a funeral service when the collision occurred.

Several survivors sustained injuries and were rushed to Mtito Andei Sub-County Hospital for treatment. 

The bodies of those who perished have been transferred to the hospital's mortuary.

The crash comes weeks after a lorry ploughed into vehicles and boda boda riders in the Riverland area of Meru Town, Meru County, killing four people and injuring 16.

The lorry overturned with its windscreen shattered, while several other vehicles lay mangled and badly damaged.

Emergency teams from Meru County rushed to the scene, ferrying the injured to hospital for urgent treatment and moving the deceased to the morgue.

Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma issued a statement of condolence, saying his thoughts and prayers were with all affected families.

He described the grief as immeasurable, noting that no words could ease the pain of losing loved ones.

Just days earlier, on October 3, another devastating crash claimed the lives of 17 pilgrims from St. Mathias Mulumba Catholic Church, Mikindani Parish, who were travelling to the National Shrine in Subukia when their bus collided at Salama along the Nairobi‑Mombasa highway.