Road deaths rise 3.4pc in 2025 as festive crashes kill 25 in one day

Road fatalities in Kenya increased 3.4 percent to 4,458 deaths in 2025 from 4,311 in 2024, with pedestrians accounting for the highest number of casualties at 1,685 deaths.

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) reported on Tuesday that 16 crashes on December 23 alone killed 25 people across 13 counties, including Kakamega, Bungoma, Nakuru, Nyeri, Siaya, Kiambu, Nairobi, Machakos, Narok, Kisii, Turkana and Uasin Gishu.

"We regret to confirm that fatal road traffic crashes have been reported across various parts of the country," the authority said in a statement.

Pedestrians accounted for eight of the 25 deaths on Monday, followed by passengers (8), motorcyclists (5), pillion passengers (3) and one driver.

The 2025 figures represent a growing danger faced by all road users, with motorcyclist deaths jumping 8.8 percent to 1,148 from 1,055 last year. Pillion passenger fatalities surged 15.2 percent to 432 from 375.

Passenger deaths dropped 8.4 percent to 723 from 789, while driver fatalities rose 8.9 percent to 403 from 371. Pedal cyclist deaths fell 6.9 percent to 67 from 72.

"As the nation celebrates the festive season, we reaffirm that road safety remains our top priority. We have deployed all available resources and currently implementing every necessary measure to safeguard lives on our roads," NTSA said.

Multi-agency compliance checks over four days flagged 1,702 violations involving commercial, public service and private vehicles.

The main offenses included absent or malfunctioning speed limiters, drunk driving, operating unroadworthy vehicles, carrying excess passengers, violating insurance requirements and operating without a Road Service License.

Kenya recorded 3,890 road fatalities between January 1 and October 22, 2025, compared to 3,805 during the same period in 2024, according to earlier NTSA data.

Pedestrians continue to bear the greatest burden, with rising concerns about speeding, overloading and noncompliance with safety regulations among public service vehicles.

NTSA Acting Director General Angela Wanjira noted in November that each loss on roads represents more than a statistic, as families and communities bear the trauma, grief and financial hardships that come with every death or serious injury. The authority has set a goal of reducing road deaths by 50 percent by 2030.

Nairobi County leads in road crash fatalities with 447 deaths between January 1 and October 31, 2025, followed by Kiambu County with 387 cases and Nakuru with 318 fatalities.