Mombasa County recorded a 15 per cent decline in road traffic deaths and serious injuries in 2025, marking the first improvement after four consecutive years of rising road fatalities, according to the newly released Mombasa Road Safety Report 2025.

Reported deaths fell from 99 in 2024 to 84, while serious injuries dropped from 216 to 183. The county’s road death rate also declined to 6.1 per 100,000 people, from 7.4 the previous year, indicating progress in road safety efforts.

The report was developed with Vital Strategies under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).

Speaking during the launch, Mombasa Deputy Governor Francis Thoya said the findings should translate into stronger action.

“Today is not simply about launching another report. It is about ensuring that evidence becomes action,” Thoya said, adding that success would ultimately be measured by fewer families receiving devastating calls because their loved ones had been injured or killed on the road.

The improvement was driven largely by a sharp decline in pedestrian deaths, which fell from 54 to 31, the largest reduction among all road-user groups.

However, deaths among two- and three-wheeler users increased from 24 to 37, accounting for 44 per cent of fatalities. Pedestrians accounted for 37 per cent, highlighting areas requiring further intervention.

Fatal crashes were most common on Saturdays and between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The Mombasa-Nairobi Road, Mombasa-Malindi Road, Makupa Causeway, Likoni-Ukunda Road and Port Reitz-Airport Road were identified as the five highest-risk corridors requiring continued attention.

Vital Strategies Regional Technical Advisor for Africa on Road Injury Surveillance, Dr Raphael Awuah, said the data demonstrated progress while providing authorities with an evidence-based roadmap for future interventions.

The report also highlighted positive changes in driver behaviour, including a decline in the proportion of vehicles caught speeding, although median observed speeds remain an area of concern.

Among interventions credited with contributing to the improvement is the redesign of Koinange Street, which now provides safer access for six schools serving more than 1,500 students. A speeding-awareness campaign was also conducted between December 2025 and January 2026.

Coast NTSA Regional Manager Caroline Sankan welcomed the figures, saying they represented a positive trend.

“The numbers seem small, but it’s a positive trend because it shows we are going down,” she said.

Sankan noted that NTSA had trained more than 500 public service vehicle drivers and operators in the previous week as part of efforts to sustain the momentum.

Mombasa County Traffic Officer Antony Nyongesa said road safety was a shared responsibility and called on parents and guardians to teach children basic road safety, particularly the importance of looking left and right before crossing roads.

by Joan Kinuthia