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The government will not abandon you, First Lady assures Marakwet landslides victims
First Lady Rachel Ruto addresses residents of Chesongoch in Kerio Valley, Elgeyo Marakwet County on November 08, 2025.
What you need to know:
- The First Lady said government agencies will rehabilitate the deforested escarpment to avert similar calamities in future.
- Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the government will compensate and resettle the affected families.
First Lady Rachel Ruto has assured residents of Chesongoch, Kerio Valley, which was affected by landslides last Saturday, of the government’s support and assistance to help them rebuild their lives.
The mudslides swept through homes in Kasegei, Kaptul, Kipkirwon, and Kwenoi villages in Chesongoch Division, killing more than 37 people. Eleven others are yet to be accounted for, while 32 sustained injuries in the night tragedy.
During a tour of the area on Saturday, the First Lady promised that she would work with government agencies to rehabilitate the deforested escarpment and ensure minimal human activity upstream to avert similar calamities in future.
First Lady Rachel Ruto third (left), condoles with Saina Krop, a survivor of the mudslides, when she visited Chesongoch in Elgeyo Marakwet County on November 08, 2025.
“I promise that I will work in collaboration with other government agencies to ensure that we rehabilitate and conserve the escarpment and also ensure that there are minimal human activities upstream so that we do not face such a calamity in the future,” Mama Rachel said.
She also indicated that conserving the environment is a collective responsibility and urged locals in Kerio Valley to prioritize tree planting and minimize human activities upstream.
“We must work together to ensure that conservation will be a priority in Kerio Valley if averting such a menace is anything to go by,” said Mrs Ruto.
“I have come here today to grieve with you over last week’s tragedy that claimed several lives and left others injured. The government will do anything humanly possible to ensure that those affected get food, shelter, and other necessities, and also help them rebuild their lives,” she added.
She said the infrastructure destroyed during the incident will also be restored and indicated that she had mobilized food and non-food items from government agencies to assist the affected locals.
“I have come here with more than 600 bags of rice, 520 bags of beans, 8,000 iron sheets to help reconstruct the houses that were destroyed. I have also brought more than 2,000 blankets, 1,000 mattresses, 50 boxes of bar soap, 20 bales of sanitary towels, and other assorted items,” noted the First Lady.
First Lady Rachel Ruto (centre) when she visited Chesongoch location in Elgeyo Marakwet County on November 08, 2025. She was accompanied by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen (left), Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich (third right, partly hidden), Nandi Governor Stephen Sang (second right), and Elgeyo Marakwet Senator William Kisang.
“I want to assure the affected locals that they will not lack anything because the state, humanitarian agencies, and well-wishers have mobilized themselves to bring aid to this place. The government will not leave you. That is my assurance. We will work with you until we ensure that normalcy returns, and I urge us to be our brother’s keeper,” she added.
The First Lady also commended government officials for beefing up security and restoring sanity in an area that has been plagued by perennial stock theft and banditry for years.
“I appeal to the locals to maintain peaceful co-existence so that we do not reverse the gains the state has made in restoring sanity. Development will not thrive in a place where there is insecurity. Women and children in this area have borne the brunt of the runaway insecurity in the past, and we do not want that to recur,” noted Mrs Ruto.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who accompanied the First Lady, said the government will compensate and resettle the affected families.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the government will compensate and resettle the affected families.
The CS assured residents that, unlike previous incidents, the compensation and resettlement process will be expedited to ensure timely relief for affected families.
“Following the directive from President William Ruto, we do not want this process to drag on. Within a month or two, we will finalize all procedures and ensure that every victim is properly compensated and resettled,” said CS Murkomen.
First Lady Rachel Ruto (second right) when she visited Chesongoch location in Elgeyo Marakwet County on November 08, 2025. She was accompanied by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen (second left), Elgeyo Marakwet County Governor Wisley Rotich, Elgeyo Marakwet Woman Rep Caroline Ngelechei and other local leaders.
He, however, cautioned individuals who might attempt to fraudulently benefit from the compensation program, noting that the government wants to target the right beneficiaries.
He said the government will collaborate closely with local communities, authorities, and elected leaders to ensure the compensation and resettlement process is conducted in a transparent, fair, and accountable manner.
“We will work hand in hand with local authorities and elected leaders to ensure that the compensation and resettlement of victims is free and fair,” he affirmed.
Humanitarian aid continues to reach the area, with humanitarian agencies and well-wishers donating food, non-food items, and clothing to those affected.
The Kenya Red Cross on Wednesday began distributing food and non-food items after verification, with families receiving a 50kg bag each of rice and maize, a 50kg bag of beans, cooking oil, utensils, dignity kits, a mattress, and a blanket.
According to Elgeyo Marakwet County Commissioner Julius Maiyo, more than 28 people in Kerio Valley have lost their lives, seven in Marakwet East and two in Keiyo North sub-counties.
He said 11 people are still missing, while 32 sustained injuries during the incident that displaced more than 600 households in the region.
More than 212 displaced families in Chesongoch, he added, are camping at a temporary shelter at Chesongoch Primary School.
