Landslide in Kenya kills 21 after heavy rain

Kenya’s government has confirmed that 21 people have died after a landslide in the west of the country following torrential rains.

Home Affairs Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said the bodies were transferred to a nearby airstrip after the landslide in Marakwet East late on Friday evening.

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

The Kenya Red Cross, which is helping to coordinate rescue efforts, said the worst-affected areas were still inaccessible by road due to mudslides and flash floods.

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

“Preparations are underway to deliver more food and non-food items to the victims,” ​​Murkomen said, adding: “Military and police helicopters are on standby to transport the items.”

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

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

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

On Saturday, the Ugandan Red Cross reported another mudslide in Kapsomo village in the east of the country, destroying a house and killing four people inside.

The Red Cross said the floods have severely affected most villages near the river banks in Bulambuli district.

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