This archive report was first published on 13 December 2019.
Grief and devastation gripped Sondany and Muino locations in West Pokot County on December 12, 2019, as 25 victims of landslides and floods were laid to rest. The burials were conducted amidst heavy rains and impassable roads, which delayed the movement of vehicles carrying the caskets.
Remains of the departed were ferried to the villages on Tuesday evening after an interdenominational requiem Mass held earlier at Makutano Stadium in Kapenguria. Some family members were forced to sleep by the roadside as heavy rains continued to rock the region, rendering roads impassable.
Vehicles carrying the caskets were stuck at Kamelei for several hours before the police intervened and mobilized support. They used their vehicles to pull the caskets out of the mud.
Relatives attending the funerals reported that the roads were impassable, delaying movement and subsequent burial for the victims for hours. Bodies were interred in respective relatives' and neighbors' homes after community members refused suggestions to have them buried in a mass grave.
The homes of the victims were buried by landslides and survivors were evacuated from affected areas following the November 23 incident. Displaced members of families who were camping at Paroo, Parua, and Nyarkulian primary schools attended the burials despite heavy rains that continued to pound the area.
Kenya Red Cross officials were present to provide moral and psycho-social support to relatives and assist in burying the bodies. It rained heavily at the burial sites as wooden coffins were lowered into the hastily dug graves.
Pokot South MP David Pkosing, who attended the burials at Nyarkulian, urged residents to move to safer ground. He also called on headteachers and principals not to send home learners affected by landslides when schools open in January, assuring that bursaries would be provided for the children who have been orphaned by the disaster.
Mr. Pkosing stated, 'We lost more than 52 people within three locations in just one night, close to 10,000 people from my constituency have been displaced. Some victims were buried immediately after the incident because their bodies could not be transported to the morgue after the region was cut off.'
Muino Location Chief Chesta Emanuel, who attended a burial of three children, said the government has plans to settle those affected, adding that new homes for the victims would be built. He stated, 'Community members agreed that all affected families would do their own funeral service and bury their loved ones since a joint Requiem Mass had been held the previous day.'
Samuel Kapkama, who addressed mourners at Muino, is desperately searching for his relatives. He said they lost 21 people from the entire location and 16 are still missing. He stated, 'The government has given up searching for the bodies, we are filled with enormous pain, there are still bodies pinned under the ground.'
He added, 'If only we could get the bodies of family members to bury we could be at peace knowing they are no more.'
