At least two people died and ten others were hospitalised after a fuel tanker caught fire along the Eldoret-Webuye highway near Paul Boit Secondary School in Uasin Gishu County, in an incident authorities say began after the truck broke down and started leaking petrol.
Police said the tanker developed a mechanical fault and began spilling fuel, drawing residents and passersby who reportedly moved in to siphon the leaking petrol. A fire is then said to have broken out suddenly, engulfing those gathered around the vehicle and triggering an explosion that sent several victims to nearby hospitals with severe burns.
Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi confirmed the deaths, saying two bodies had been recovered by the time of his statement, while several others rescued from the scene remained in critical condition. “We collected two bodies then. Many others were rescued and rushed to hospitals in serious condition,” Ndanyi said, adding that the toll could rise given the severity of some injuries.
The Kenya Red Cross said its teams had been deployed to the scene in collaboration with police and firefighters to support rescue and evacuation efforts. Multi-agency teams, including fire crews, worked through the night to contain the blaze, which was said to have been brought under control by around 4am on Friday.
Motorists using the busy Eldoret-Webuye corridor were advised to avoid the affected stretch as investigators and emergency crews continued operations at the scene. The highway is a key transport link connecting western Kenya to Uasin Gishu and onward to the Rift Valley, and is frequently used by fuel trucks and other heavy commercial vehicles.
Preliminary reports suggest the fire may have been triggered while people were attempting to collect the leaking fuel, a practice that has been linked to previous tanker tragedies in the region, though the exact ignition source remains under investigation. Authorities have in the past appealed to the public to keep away from leaking fuel tankers and to alert emergency services instead, warning of the extreme fire risk such incidents pose.
Further updates are expected as police complete their investigation into the cause of the explosion and confirm the final casualty toll.