Elgeyo Marakwet County – November 4, 2025
Tragedy has struck Chesongoch area in Marakwet East, where powerful floods and landslides have claimed over 20 lives, leaving at least 30 people missing and hundreds displaced.
Authorities say the disaster followed days of torrential rainfall that triggered landslides and flash floods, sweeping away homes, farms, and livestock across the lower parts of the Kerio Valley.
At least 25 survivors are currently receiving treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret. Rescue teams — including officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), National Youth Service (NYS), and local volunteers — are still combing through the debris in search of missing persons.
A Tragic Twist of Fate
Ironically, many of those killed had moved to higher grounds years ago, seeking refuge from deadly bandit attacks that had made the valley unsafe for decades. For them, the escarpments offered protection from bullets — but not from nature’s wrath.
Those who perished were survivors of repeated tragedies — massacres, raids, and years of insecurity — only to be caught in yet another cycle of death and despair.
“These are people who had already escaped one danger, only to meet another,” said one local elder. “We are burying people who survived the Murkutwo massacre, only to lose them to the floods.”
A Land Scarred by Conflict
The Kerio Valley, stretching through Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, and Baringo counties, has for years been synonymous with inter-community clashes and cattle rustling between the Pokot and Marakwet communities.
Security reports indicate that more than 1,000 people have been killed in the conflict over the past two decades, with schools closed, families displaced, and farmlands abandoned.
The persistent insecurity forced hundreds of families to move uphill, abandoning fertile lowlands in search of safety. Many of the recent flood victims lived in these elevated zones, which have now become the new epicenter of tragedy.
Echoes of the Murkutwo Massacre
Just a few kilometers from Chesongoch lies Murkutwo, the site of one of Kenya’s darkest nights. On March 12, 2001, heavily armed raiders stormed the Marakwet community, killing 56 people — mostly women and children — and torching homes.
According to reports by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC), the Murkutwo Massacre was part of a vicious cycle of revenge attacks that left the valley soaked in grief for years.
Today, survivors of that 2001 massacre mourn yet again — victims of nature’s fury, even as memories of past violence remain raw.
Renewed Hope Amid Pain
Despite the recurring tragedies, there are signs of progress. The government’s ongoing disarmament operation has seen dozens of illegal firearms surrendered voluntarily, helping restore calm in previously volatile zones.
Security patrols and peace initiatives by religious leaders and elders have also begun to bridge the divide between rival communities, rekindling hope for a lasting solution.
“The people of Marakwet are tired of mourning,” said a local chief. “We’ve seen too many graves — from bandit bullets to landslides. But we will rise again.”
Unbroken Resilience
From massacre to floods, the story of Elgeyo Marakwet County is one of pain and perseverance. The people of the valley have endured unspeakable suffering — from man-made violence to natural disasters — yet they remain united by faith, courage, and the hope that peace and safety will finally return to their homeland.
