17 MOMBASA PILGRIMS PERISH ON JOURNEY TO SUBUKIA MARIAN SHRINE FOR NATIONAL PRAYER DAY

Seventeen pilgrims from St. Mathias Mulumba Mikindani Parish in the Archdiocese of Mombasa died in a multi-vehicle collision on Saturday, October 3, 2026. The group was traveling to the Subukia National Marian Shrine in the Diocese of Nakuru for the 2026 National Prayer Day when the accident occurred in the early morning at Mlima Kiu in Salama, Kilome, along the Nairobi-Mombasa road in Makueni County.

Archbishop Martin Kivuva of Mombasa expressed grief over the deaths in a letter to priests, religious members, and the lay faithful of the archdiocese. Archbishop Maurice Muhatia, chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, offered condolences to the families and the leadership of the Archdiocese of Mombasa during the celebrations at the Subukia Shrine. Archbishop Muhatia noted that all seventeen victims were from the same parish.