This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
On November 23, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces to areas in West Pokot County affected by landslides.
Heavy rains had triggered the landslide, which occurred at 2:30 am on Saturday morning, resulting in the loss of 29 lives and massive destruction of property, including key infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
President Kenyatta expressed his condolences to the families, friends, and relatives of those who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate incident.
He also prayed for the quick recovery and restoration of those who were injured in the calamitous incident and are receiving treatment in different hospitals.
The President assured those whose loved ones are yet to be found that the ongoing multi-agency rescue operation will continue until after every missing person is accounted for.
He further directed Regional Commissioners in flood and landslide-prone regions of the country to work closely with security and humanitarian teams to ensure that citizens in these areas are urgently moved to safer grounds.
President Kenyatta's statement was sent to media houses, in which he said, “I have directed the deployment of resources including rescue personnel from our various security and humanitarian agencies covering the Kenya Defence Forces, the National Police Service, and Special Programmes to the affected region so as to provide mitigative action against further loss of lives. The operation will continue round the clock until the situation normalizes.”
