The Kenyan government has confirmed that 21 people have died following a landslide in the western part of the country after heavy rainfall. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen reported that the bodies had been transferred to a nearby airstrip after the landslide in Marakwet East late on Friday night.
Murkomen stated on social media that over 30 individuals are still unaccounted for based on family reports, and around 25 people with severe injuries have been airlifted for urgent medical treatment. The Kenyan Red Cross, helping to coordinate rescue efforts, noted that the hardest-hit areas remain inaccessible due to mudslides and flooding.
As of Saturday evening, the Kenyan government paused search and rescue operations but is set to resume them on Sunday. Murkomen emphasized that preparations are underway to supply additional food and non-food relief items to the victims, with military and police helicopters on standby to transport these supplies.
Kenya is currently in its second rainy season, marked by short yet intense periods of rainfall compared to a more prolonged rainy season earlier in the year. The government has urged residents living near seasonal rivers and on mountainsides previously impacted by landslides to evacuate to safer areas.
Simultaneously, neighboring Uganda has faced similar weather woes, with several fatalities reported due to flash flooding and landslides since the previous week. On Saturday, the Uganda Red Cross documented a mudslide in Kapsomo village that led to four deaths as a house was demolished by the landslide. Flooding has severely affected many villages near riverbanks in Uganda’s Bulambuli District, with continuous rains causing local rivers to overflow, leading to significant destruction of homes and crops.
