CHESONGOCH, ELGEYO MARAKWET – The community of Chesongoch in Elgeyo Marakwet County is preparing for a mass burial service on Friday, 21 November 2025, for 31 of the victims of a catastrophic landslide that struck the area on the night of Friday, 31 October 2025. The solemn event will take place at St. Benedict Christ the King Catholic Church in Kerio Valley, a decision made out of tragic necessity after entire homesteads and land parcels were swept away, leaving many families with no place to lay their loved ones to rest.

The landslide, which followed days of relentless, heavy rainfall, devastated the villages of Kasegei, Kwenoi, Kaptul, and Kipkirwon. Official figures from the government and humanitarian agencies reported a death toll that climbed to over 35 people, with dozens more injured and several individuals still unaccounted for as of mid-November. According to a statement from Elgeyo Marakwet County's Chief Officer for disaster management, Lawrence Mutwol, the affected families collectively agreed to the mass burial to find closure and honour the deceased in a dignified manner. A monument is planned for the site to serve as a permanent memorial.

A Predictable Tragedy

The disaster on the Elgeyo Escarpment was not an unforeseen event. The region is a known high-risk zone for landslides, a fact geologists and environmental experts have warned about for years. The escarpment's steep slopes, combined with loose volcanic soils, become dangerously unstable when saturated by intense rainfall. According to the Kenya Meteorological Department, the ground was already saturated from unusually heavy rains during the June-August period, compounding the impact of the October-December rainy season.

Human activity has significantly exacerbated these natural risks. Widespread deforestation for settlement, farming, and charcoal burning has stripped the slopes of tree cover that once anchored the soil. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen directly linked the scale of the tragedy to “years of deforestation and poor farming methods,” noting that many residents cultivate on steep slopes without proper terracing. This combination of geological vulnerability, extreme weather linked to climate change, and unsustainable land use practices has created a recurring cycle of disaster. The region has a tragic history, with fatal landslides recorded in 2010, 2020, and now 2025.

National Response and Lingering Questions

In the immediate aftermath, the Kenyan government launched a multi-agency response. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and National Police Service deployed helicopters to airlift injured survivors to hospitals, including Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, and to deliver medical personnel and supplies to areas cut off by destroyed roads and bridges. The Kenya Red Cross has been on the ground since the initial hours, providing first aid, psychosocial support, and distributing humanitarian aid to over 600 displaced families seeking refuge in camps like the one at Chesongoch Primary School.

On 2 November 2025, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura confirmed that the government would cover medical and funeral expenses. Subsequently, President William Ruto directed that all affected families be compensated and resettled within 30 days. However, the disaster has renewed scrutiny of the government's long-term strategy for disaster risk reduction. Despite repeated warnings from agencies like the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and geologists who have declared parts of the escarpment unfit for human settlement, residents have remained, often due to deep ancestral ties to the land and a lack of viable relocation alternatives.

As the Chesongoch community gathers to mourn, the mass burial serves as a stark symbol of a larger national challenge. The tragedy underscores the urgent need for robust land-use policies, investment in early warning systems, widespread reforestation of the escarpments, and a clear, well-funded resettlement plan for Kenyans living in areas prone to such predictable and devastating natural disasters.