The desperate search for 16 people still missing after the weekend landslides in the Kerio Valley belt entered its sixth day on Thursday, with rescue teams warning that some bodies may be buried as deep as six feet under debris. This could complicate recovery efforts.
The disaster displaced more than 1,500 households across four villages in Elgeyo Marakwet County, and rescuers and community volunteers are combing through mud, rocks, and riverbanks for missing people.
Among families desperately clinging onto hope of finding their loved ones is Ms Susan Kaino, 45, a single mother of five.
Her son Martin Kiptoo, a third-year Egerton University student, is among the 16 persons still missing following the tragedy that swept through Kasegei, Kaptul, Kwenoi, and Kipkirwon villages on October 31, 2025.
On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of Kipkirwon villagers gathered under mango trees at St Benedict Christ the King Catholic Church grounds in Chesengoch for a meeting convened by local authorities to brief them on the weekend landslides that claimed more than 34 lives.
Bishop Dominic Kimengich of Eldoret Catholic Diocese on November 5, 2025 condoles with relatives of those who perished following mudslides in Kerio Valley, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation
Ms Kaino sat pensively on a mango tree stump as officials shared updates on developments and next actions. Absentmindedly, she picked up a lesso that had fallen from her lap and walked away.
“We have searched all the mudslides and the river, but Martin is still missing. I just want closure and a place to rebuild our lives,” she said, her voice breaking.
Martin had returned home due to the university lecturers’ strike and had been there only three days when the tragedy struck.
Ms Kaino said that last Friday, after a long day, she had taken her evening meal and settled in with her four children. She slept in her three-roomed house with three of her children, while Martin slept in a separate house a few metres away.
At around 1.30am, she realised that their bedding was soaked in water and raised the alarm, waking up her children.
“When we woke up, our rooms were marooned in water, and the bedding was fully soaked. We dashed outside, and it was helter-skelter as everyone ran for their lives. I realised that the village had been hit by a landslide and my son’s house had been swept downstream. I wailed to alert the neighbours,” she added.
Earlier that day, Ms Kaino had sent Martin to Kapsowar town to sell mangoes to raise money for his return to school.
“He came home in the evening after the errand and we took supper before he went to his house just a few metres away. That was the last time we saw him alive,” she recalled.
The aftermath of a mudslide in Kipkenda village, Keiyo North of Elgeyo Marakwet County in this photo taken on November 3, 2025.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya I Nation
Her five-acre mango and crop farm, the family’s main source of livelihood, was destroyed. It is now covered in massive boulders, erasing all signs that homesteads once stood there.
“We found one of my sufurias and a few of my deceased son’s clothes along the shores of the Kerio River, more than 30 kilometres away. We are yet to retrieve his remains,” she said.
“If not for the lecturers’ strike, my son would not have been swept downstream by the landslide and would be alive today.”
Ms Kaino added, “I just pray that his remains are retrieved so that I can get closure, like the other families.”
The tragedy followed days of heavy rainfall that loosened soil on the steep slopes of the Kerio Valley, triggering massive mudslides that swept away homes and farmland.
By close of Tuesday, 34 people had been confirmed dead, 35 injured, and 17 people unaccounted for.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa, who toured the affected areas on Tuesday, said more than 1,500 households in have been displaced.
Humanitarian workers were finally able to deliver bulk relief supplies on Tuesday afternoon after a key access road, the Sisiya-Kapsiya road that comes from Kapsowar to Chesengoch, was opened up. For three days, the vehicles had been stranded because of lack of access.
Officials work to open the damaged road at Murkutwo in Elgeyo Marakwet County on November 4, 2025, following mudslides.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation
The disaster affected many families in the area, and as rescue teams continue with the gruelling search, stories of loss echo across neighbouring villages.
Anxious and grieving families have joined the search and rescue team to dig through debris and riverbanks in a desperate search for their missing loved ones.
In Kwenoi village, 82-year-old Yano Cherop is still waiting for news of his three missing grandchildren. Three other family members are being treated for serious injuries at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
He was sleeping in his room while his wife was in another room with their three grandchildren when the house got flooded. They rushed outside to find his last-born son’s house had been washed away by a landslide, he recounted.
His other son, Philemon Cherop, was trapped in a mangled iron sheet house with his wife and four children. They managed to rescue him, his wife, and one child. Unfortunately, one of the children was already dead.
“I have nowhere to live because my eight-acre farm is now filled with rocks; you may mistake it for a riverbank. Cherop now lives in a temporary camp at Chechan Primary School,” he said.
Mr Emmanuel Kemboi, 42, also from Kwenoi village, lost his mother, while his sister is receiving treatment at the Eldoret hospital. His grandmother and three nieces are still missing.
He recounted the night of the landslide, and hearing a loud bang from the slopes shortly after 2am.
“It was raining, and when I went outside, part of our land, including my mother’s house, had been swept down the slopes. I heard screams and found my sister trapped in mud. Neighbours helped me pull her from the debris, and she was evacuated the following day to Eldoret for treatment,” Me Kemboi said.
“All our land is now dominated by rocks. What used to be our home is filled with debris almost two metres deep, and we fear the bodies of our missing family members are buried underground. We have searched for them for several kilometres into the Kerio River [without success].”
The aftermath of a mudslide in Kipkenda village, Keiyo North of Elgeyo Marakwet County in this photo taken on November 3, 2025.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya I Nation
While the multi-agency team is determined to account for every missing person and ensure dignity for those who perished in the disaster, the search and rescue team reported that some bodies are buried very deep, leaving them in a tricky situation even as some community members are losing hope.
The multi-agency response team deployed drones and sniffer dogs to help in the search, which entails navigating the difficult terrain, the mud, debris, and heavy rain, slowing the recovery process.
Kenya Red Cross on Wednesday embarked on addressing the needs of the affected persons in terms of health, sanitation, nutrition, medical, and related emergencies. World Vision has also began offering related services.
Kenya Red Cross North Rift Regional Head, Mr Oscar Okumu, said the agency had started the verification and registration of affected persons.
Among the desks that have been set up at the command centre in Chesengoch by the multi-agency team are a tracing desk for purposes of recognition and reuniting of families, a community feedback desk, and a desk for psychosocial support where a team of counsellors is attending to the survivors.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, at least 200 families have been rounded up at Chesengoch Primary School following the disaster, while more are being hosted by the local community.
The multi-agency team reported that food that had been airlifted by the government was distributed to persons who are at the school, and some received bedding.
The aftermath of a mudslide in Kipkenda village, Keiyo North of Elgeyo Marakwet County in this photo taken on November 3, 2025.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya I Nation
Kenya Red Cross has also started addressing the medical supplies needs for persons with chronic diseases through community outreach and mobile clinics, as well as considering replenishing medical supplies for local health facilities affected, including the Mission Hospital in Chesengoch and those that helped in first aid after the tragedies.
CS Barasa emphasised the importance of climate financing at a global level, noting that loss and damage are a reality, and mitigation and adaptation must be prioritised.
“Loss and damage are a reality, and extreme weather events are increasing. Awareness and planning at the community level are critical to reduce risks,” she said, adding that routine assessment includes monitoring the climate situation nationwide and implementing community awareness programmes to mitigate future risks.
The CS said that the government, through partners, has mobilised food and non-food items to support affected communities.
“A multi-sectoral team is conducting assessments in the affected areas and developing interventions to support the communities,” she said.
