A 14-seater matatu carrying school children overturned along Thika Road near Garden City Mall in Nairobi on Monday morning, causing alarm among motorists during the busy rush hour.
According to eyewitnesses, the matatu was reportedly speeding when the driver lost control of the vehicle. It rolled and landed on its roof, prompting immediate rescue efforts from members of the public and emergency responders who rushed to the scene.
The brightly painted pink matatu was headed towards the TRM Mall direction when the crash occurred. Despite the shock of the incident, videos and images shared with Newshub.co.ke showed the young students seated safely on the side of the road, though it remains unclear if any of them sustained serious injuries.
The accident happened during peak traffic hours, and several injured students were quickly taken to the hospital to receive medical treatment.
The crash resulted in a massive traffic jam along Thika Road, stretching from Githurai 45 to Garden City. Police officers, Nairobi City County personnel, and boda boda riders coordinated efforts to rescue the children and clear the overturned vehicle from the road.
One of the key issues that stood out was the color of the matatu. It lacked the mandatory yellow paint required by law for all school transport vehicles. Instead, the matatu was painted pink, a clear violation of safety guidelines.
This has reignited public concern about the poor enforcement of school transport regulations in Kenya.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has laid out strict rules for vehicles that transport school children.
One of the primary requirements is that such vehicles must be painted in a specific bright yellow color (code FFD800) and clearly labeled with the words “School Bus” on both the front and back sides.
Apart from the paint, these school vehicles are also required to have flashing red lights, a stop-signal arm, working seatbelts for all passengers, and a complaints hotline visible to the public for reporting dangerous driving.
Additionally, the rear of the bus must display a clear warning reading “DO NOT PASS WHEN RED LIGHTS ARE FLASHING.”
These safety measures are part of the NTSA’s broader school transport safety strategy, aimed at making school buses more visible on the road and ensuring a standard level of safety across the country.
The agency has emphasized that any vehicle that fails to comply with these rules risks facing stiff penalties, including fines, impounding of the vehicle, and possible suspension of the operator’s license.
Recent data from NTSA shows that Kenya recorded 1,139 road accident-related deaths between January and March 2025. This figure marks a slight improvement compared to the 1,166 fatalities reported during the same period in 2024.
However, incidents like this continue to highlight ongoing gaps in road safety, particularly when it comes to school transport.
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