15 parishioners killed in road accident on way to Kenya shrine for National Prayer Day

NAIROBI, Kenya — Fifteen pilgrims from Kenya’s Archdiocese of Mombasa who were heading to Subukia National Marian Shrine in the Diocese of Nakuru died on Saturday in a road accident.

The Mombasa Archdiocese announced the news on Saturday, Oct. 3, that pilgrims from St. Mathias Mulumba Mikindani Parish had died in a car crash in the small town of Salama, about a six-hour drive from the shrine.

The message from the office of the archbishop read: “We are saddened with lots of grief to announce the untimely passing on of [15] pilgrims from St. Mathias Mulumba, Mikindani, in an accident that occurred at Salama. The pilgrims were on their way to the National Shrine, Subukia, for the National Prayer Day.”

The statement from the office of Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde continued: “Let us pray for the repose of their souls as we pray for their families, St. Mathias Mulumba Parish and the Archdiocese as a whole, so that we may find solace and consolation in the Lord.”

In his opening address at the prayer event, the chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba, expressed the closeness of KCCB members with the Mombasa Archdiocese following the tragedy.

Muhatia also clarified that 15 people died, and not 17 as had earlier been reported by the archdiocese.

Welcoming participants to the event, the KCCB chairman said: “We remember in a special way other pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Mombasa who were headed here, but could not arrive due to a road accident. I express personal condolences and the solidarity of the Bishops’ Conference to Archbishop Martin Kivuva and Archbishop Dominic Kimengich for the loss of 15 pilgrims who were headed here.”

Muhatia added: “All of them were from one parish and all of them perished in the accident.”

The bishop of the Kisumu Archdiocese read out the names of the pilgrims who died and prayed for the repose of their souls.

The tragedy has been described as a major blow to the Kenyan archdiocese, which also lost a pilgrim during the 2025 National Prayer Day at the shrine. Marcella Mueni collapsed and died while she was getting ready for Mass. She was among more than 9,000 pilgrims who traveled from Mombasa for the annual spiritual gathering.

The 2026 National Prayer Day is being celebrated under the theme “Blessed Are the Peacemakers.” According to the KCCB, the theme is an invitation to the faithful to embrace their responsibility as agents of peace in their families, communities, and the country.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.