A somber cloud hangs over the Nakuru–Kisumu highway after a devastating crash at the notorious Sobea blackspot claimed the lives of a mother and her adult daughter on Sunday.
The victims, who were returning from a relative’s burial in Kisumu, died after their personal car collided with a transit trailer along the treacherous stretch. Witnesses say the accident happened in the late afternoon as the women made their way home, adding yet another dark chapter to what motorists now grimly call the “Highway to Hell.”
Sobea, part of the broader Salgaa stretch on the Nakuru–Eldoret highway, has earned a reputation as one of Kenya’s deadliest roads. The route is a critical transport corridor linking Nairobi to Western Kenya and landlocked nations such as Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi. However, its notoriety for accidents continues to haunt travelers.
In 2024 alone, the Salgaa–Sobea stretch claimed at least 42 lives, most in head-on collisions and hit-and-runs, according to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). Just months earlier, a grisly accident at Sobea killed five family members when a Nissan matatu collided with a lorry. In another case, four people perished when a 14-seater matatu rammed into a parked truck.
“These tragedies are preventable,” Rift Valley Police Commander Cecilia Kemboi has repeatedly stressed. “Excessive speeding and disregard for road safety regulations continue to be major contributors to the loss of lives on our highways.”
The NTSA has also warned motorists about hazardous driving conditions in the Rift Valley, especially during rainy seasons when slippery surfaces increase the risk of accidents.
The bodies of the deceased mother and daughter have since been taken to Nakuru Level Five Hospital mortuary, awaiting post-mortem examinations. Investigations into the exact cause of the crash are ongoing.
As the families mourn the deadly accident, urgent need for stricter enforcement of road safety rules, more frequent patrols along blackspots, and the installation of better signage and lighting to reduce accidents.
