The faces of 17 people who died in the Salama road crash were displayed at St Mathias Mulumba Catholic Parish in Mikindani, Mombasa, as relatives, friends and fellow worshippers gathered to honour their memory during a requiem Mass.
The portraits, placed near the altar during the Thursday, October 8, 2026, service, offered mourners a moment to remember the people whose journey to a national prayer gathering ended in tragedy.
Families struggled with the loss as church members and religious leaders came together to pray for the departed and offer support to those left behind.
The victims were among parishioners travelling from Mombasa to the Subukia National Marian Shrine in Nakuru County for the annual National Prayer Day when the crash occurred along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.
The 17 were killed on October 3 in a multi-vehicle collision near Salama in Makueni County. The group comprised 16 pilgrims and the driver of the vehicle they were travelling in.
Those remembered included Janet Miito, Florence Atieno, Jane Mwakamba, Josephat Mekonge, Hilkah Orina, Linah Akinyi, Veronicah Musyimi, Martha Nzyoki, Ann Mwanthi, Sarapia Mwarimbo, Scholastica Ochieng, Catherine Joseph, Beatrice Oluoch, Veronica Ngandi, Regina Mwai, Samuel Muigai and driver Samuel Mwanyasi.
Coadjutor Archbishop of Mombasa Dominic Kimengich led the requiem Mass, which brought together the bereaved families, parishioners and members of the wider community.
Archbishop Kimengich described the deaths as a heavy loss to the parish, noting that the victims had been travelling for prayers.
“Ni uchungu kuondokea na mtu wa karibu… mwanajumuia mwenzako, mwanafamilia,” Kimengich said, reflecting on the loss of fathers, mothers, siblings and other loved ones.
The gathering also reflected the wider impact of the tragedy on Mikindani, where the deceased were part of the local church community.
The service gave mourners an opportunity to pray together, remember the victims and stand in solidarity with families preparing to lay their loved ones to rest.
Following the Mass, the bodies were to be taken to different destinations for burial, in line with arrangements made by the respective families.
The crash has renewed attention on road safety, with the victims’ journey serving as a painful reminder of the devastating consequences of collisions on Kenyan highways.
