Kenyan landslide kills 21 after heavy rainfall

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 said the bodies had been transferred to a nearby airstrip after the landslide in Marakwet East late on Friday night.

He said on X that more than 30 people were still unaccounted for after being reported missing by their families while 25 people with serious injuries had been airlifted to receive further medical attention.

The Kenyan Red Cross, which is helping to coordinate rescue efforts, said that the most affected areas are still not accessible by road due to mudslides and flash flooding.

The Kenyan government paused the search and rescue operation on Saturday evening but said it would resume on Sunday.

“Preparation to supply more food and non-food relief items to the victims is underway,” said Murkomen, adding: “Military and police choppers are on standby to transport the items.”

Kenya is in its second rainy season when it usually experiences a few weeks of wet weather compared to a heavier, more prolonged period earlier in the year.

The government has urged people living near seasonal rivers as well as areas that experienced landslides on Friday to move to safer ground.

Meanwhile, flash flooding and landslides in Uganda, near the border with Kenya, have killed a number of people since last Wednesday.

On Saturday, the Uganda Red Cross said another mudslide had occurred in Kapsomo village in the east of the country, destroying a house and killing four people inside.

The Red Cross said floods had severely affected most villages near riverbanks in the Bulambuli District.

It said continuous heavy rainfall had caused the River Astiri and the River Sipi “to overflow, resulting in widespread destruction of homes, crop fields, and community infrastructure”.