This archive report was first published on 25 November 2019.
On the night of November 22, 2019, a massive landslide struck Pokot South, claiming the lives of 50 people and leaving many more injured.
Among the survivors is Leah Chemnee, 23, who lost three children in the disaster. She recalled hearing a huge stone landing outside her house at 11pm, followed by her house shaking and the ground breaking loose before her eyes.
Chemnee credits her in-laws for rescuing her, saying her daughter's screams alerted them to her distress. 'As the house buckled, my daughter screamed attracting attention of my in-laws who responded and rescued me. I lost three children who were swept to their death. Their bodies were found metres away from the house,' she said.
Julius Ptakawu, a teacher, lost his son in the landslide. His two daughters, who survived with injuries, are being treated at Kapenguria County Hospital. Ptakawu managed to escape the avalanche but his three children were caught up in the raging mud as they went to rescue their neighbours.
Five children, all under the age of 12, are being treated at the county hospital along with their father, who is in a critical condition. The children's mother was unfortunately buried alive.
At the Kapenguria County Hospital morgue, William Lokapel was still trying to come to terms with the loss of his three daughters. Lokapel identified the bodies and said the three were swept away by the mudslide, but their mother survived and is being treated at the hospital.
Health Executive Geoffrey Lipale said the mortuary received nine bodies, and the morgue does not have the capacity to accommodate all the recovered bodies. Some had been transferred to hospitals in nearby Kitale town in Trans Nzoia County.
Dr Mbandi Victor said the county hospital was on high alert, with an orthopaedic surgeon on hand to attend to patients with bone injuries.
