NAKURU, Kenya, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed and eight others injured in a road accident along the busy Nairobi-Nakuru highway on Monday night.

Area divisional police commander Sarah Koki said Tuesday that a truck, which was headed to Eldoret from Nairobi, lost control and rear-ended a minibus (matatu), killing two passengers on the spot. Three others died while receiving treatment at the local hospital.

Koki said eight passengers sustained serious injuries in the crash that happened at 10:30 p.m., with five said to be in critical condition.

The accident had paralyzed transport along the busy highway leading to a major jam before police moved in to tow away the wrecks.

A witness Samuel Wambugu said the accident occurred after a trailer heading downhill lost control and rammed into a fleet of vehicles heading towards Nairobi.

Wambugu said the trailer was in high speed when it hit six other vehicles including two other trailers.

"The Nissan matatu was the first to be hit and two of the passengers died on the spot while passengers in other personal cars were seriously injured," he said.

Gilgil Sub-county Commissioner Ndambuki Mutheki however said that the injured were in stable condition and undergoing treatment.

Mutheki said that traffic police were investigating the incident adding that majority of those injured were drivers.

The official called on drivers to exercise caution on the roads, adding that careless driving, overtaking and speeding were the leading causes of accidents on Kenya's roads.