This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
On Wednesday, the only bridge connecting the village of Muino, where 22 people were killed by mudslides in West Pokot, collapsed. The bridge, which was the only link to the village, caved in as a lorry driver attempted to cross it to deliver relief food to locals who had been relocated to a camp in Tamkal, Sigor Constituency.
According to West Pokot County Commissioner Apollo Okello, the bridge might have collapsed due to the weight of the lorry, which was full of grain and other humanitarian supplies. The lorry overturned, falling on the river bank after the bridge collapsed.
Okello stated that a team of engineers was heading to the bridge to try and restore transport following its collapse. He expressed hope that things would normalize soon.
Residents said vehicles belonging to humanitarian agencies, the police, and other teams that were in Tamkal before the incident could not move out of the area since Chepera bridge, which connects Muino village, was yet to be constructed after it was swept away during the floods that triggered landslides.
West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo, who had earlier flagged off relief food destined for Tamkal, said the caving in of the bridge had exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. He pleaded with the national government to assist in airlifting basic needs to Parua and Muino.
A multi-agency team, led by the Kenya Red Cross Society, has been searching for at least 15 bodies believed to be trapped in River Weiwei since Saturday. The team reported that it had recovered one body, which was yet to be identified.
