Background Road traffic injuries (RTIs) have become one of the leading public health burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Studies have found RTIs were among the major causes of death and hospital admissions in Kenya. However, most findings were from health care settings and there is a lack of literature on population-based estimates of the burden of road traffic injuries in Kenya.

Methods A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in Thika and Naivasha, Kenya in 2011. Using a cluster random sampling approach, households in the area served by six to eight community health units in the two districts were randomly selected for interview. Upon informed consent, interviewers asked adult respondents about all unintentional injuries to them or members of their households in the past one year, followed by type of injury, and place of occurrence. Additional questions were asked about the road traffic injury or death, if a road traffic injury was reported.

Results The study recruited 669 households in Thika and 439 households in Naivasha, which included a total of 3804 individuals. A small proportion of households approached declined the interview (2.3% in Thika, 10.0% in Naivasha). Unintentional injuries were prevalent in both districts (7.3 in Thika, 5.9% in Naivasha). RTIs were the top cause of unintentional injuries in Thika (46.8%), and the second cause of unintentional injuries in Naivasha (27.3%). Majority of individuals with RTIs sought medical treatment after the injury in Thika (96.5%), but fewer RTI survivors sought care after RTIs in Naivasha (73.1%). Reporting of the RTI to police was also low in Naivasha (66.1% in Thika vs. 34.6% in Naivasha).

Conclusions This survey provides a better understanding of the prevalence of RTIs in Thika and Naivasha, the circumstances leading to them, as well as medical care for the injury. This information could be useful in designing and implementing interventions to address this burden.