The Kenyan government has confirmed that 21 people have died following a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall in the country’s western region.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said the bodies had been taken to a nearby airstrip after the landslide struck Marakwet East late on Friday night.
He said on X that more than 30 people remain missing after being reported unaccounted for by their families, while 25 others with serious injuries have been airlifted for medical treatment.
The Kenyan Red Cross, which is leading rescue efforts, said several affected areas remain inaccessible due to mudslides and flash floods. Search and rescue operations were paused on Saturday evening but are expected to resume on Sunday.
Murkomen said preparations were underway to deliver food and non-food relief items to affected communities, with military and police helicopters on standby to transport supplies.
Kenya is currently in its second rainy season, a period usually marked by short but intense rainfall. Authorities have urged residents living near seasonal rivers and landslide-prone areas to move to safer ground.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Uganda has also been hit by flash floods and landslides near the Kenyan border, leaving several people dead. The Uganda Red Cross said a mudslide in Kapsomo village in the east of the country destroyed a home and killed four people on Saturday.
It added that heavy rainfall has caused rivers in Bulambuli District to overflow, leading to widespread destruction of homes, farmland, and community infrastructure.
