Kenyan President William Ruto has expressed his condolences after 17 pilgrims were killed in a multi-vehicle collision at Salama on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, according to the-star.co.ke. The crash, reported on Saturday, October 3, 2026, involved several vehicles and has been described by local outlets as a horrific highway accident.
The Star reported that the victims were pilgrims, and that Ruto joined the nation in mourning their deaths. Daily Nation also covered the collision, calling it a multi-vehicle highway crash, while Standard Media reported the same death toll of 17 in what it described as a grisly road crash in Makueni. The Star, in a separate report, confirmed the location as the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
The scale of the incident has drawn attention from road safety authorities. Kenyans.co.ke reported that the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) issued a fresh advisory to all drivers following the Salama crash. The advisory came as the country reckoned with the loss of life on one of its busiest transport corridors.
The reports did not specify the cause of the collision or provide further details on the conditions of other people involved. The identities of the pilgrims and the exact sequence of events leading to the crash were also not immediately detailed in the coverage.
Further updates are expected as authorities continue to respond to the crash. Watch for statements from the NTSA and Kenyan officials on the circumstances of the collision and any measures announced for drivers on the highway.
