A Nairobi-Nyahururu passenger train partially derailed near Ol Kalou Railway Station on Tuesday evening, with no immediate reports of injuries as Kenya Railways is yet to comment.
A Nairobi-Nyahururu passenger train partially derailed near Ol Kalou town on Tuesday evening, August 18, after two wheels of one of its coaches came off the railway track close to the Ol Kalou Railway Station.
The incident caused a brief scare among passengers on board, though there were no immediate reports of injuries. Witnesses said the train had been travelling along the Nairobi-Nyahururu route when part of the coach left the track.
Images and videos obtained by Don Sami Live showed several wagons of the passenger train slightly off the main railway track, with the incident occurring close to the station. Residents milled around the scene following the derailment, with some recording videos and taking pictures as efforts to establish what had happened continued.
By the time of publication, the Kenya Railways Corporation had not issued a statement on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Nairobi-Nyahururu passenger service, popularly known as the Nyahururu Safari Train or Thompson Railway, was revived earlier this year after sitting dormant for 46 years, restoring a historic transport corridor connecting Nairobi, Gilgil, Ol Kalou and Nyahururu. The line has already faced questions over its safety record: during its maiden trip in June, the train was involved in a collision with a personal vehicle that left two people critically injured.
Train derailments involving passenger services are relatively rare in Kenya, although they can result in serious injuries and fatalities when they occur. The last reported passenger train derailment happened in March 2025 in Lugari, Kakamega County. Before that, one person died and 33 others sustained critical injuries — a figure that later rose to 66 — when a passenger train derailed near Tata Chemicals in Kajiado County on July 9, 2024, after losing control while crossing a metal bridge at Duka Moja in Loodokilani Ward, carrying more than 100 passengers from Magadi to Kajiado town.
Don Sami Live will provide updates as more details, including an official statement from Kenya Railways, become available.