Police recruit killed, 24 injured as car hits trainees

Crime scene. [GettyImages]

A police recruit has died following a road accident in Nyeri County.

The accident happened early Friday morning, January 23, 2026, along the Marua-Chaka Road near Rubis petrol station, about one kilometre from Kiganjo Police Station.

Police said the recruits were on their morning run when a Toyota Fielder hit them. The vehicle was heading from Chaka towards Marua. Traffic officers on duty had signalled the driver to slow down and stop, but he failed to comply.

The car struck a group of 25 recruit constables who were running on the left side of the road towards the National Police Service main campus in Kiganjo.

One recruit, identified as 24-year-old John Leaky, sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival at Mathari Mission Hospital. His body is being preserved at the hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

Twenty-four other recruit constables were seriously injured and are receiving treatment at the same hospital.

The driver of the vehicle, a 59-year-old man, has been identified. The car was towed to the police station yard for inspection as investigations continue. Police said the road was dry and well lit at the time of the accident.