This archive report was first published on 5 June 2020.
On April 18, 2020, a landslide struck the Chesogon trading centre, claiming 17 lives and leaving 26 others unaccounted for. Among the survivors was Nancy Pyatich, a 23-year-old student who was buried in mud for two days.
Pyatich, a fourth-year bachelor of education student at Moi University, was with her three siblings inside their family shop when the landslide occurred. She recounts the events of that fateful day, saying, 'We had just returned from tilling our family land and we were inside the shop which also happens to be our house. There was a light drizzle. Then we heard a thunderous sound akin to an earthquake emanating from the hills that sandwich the trading centre.'
As the landslide approached, Pyatich and her siblings fled for their lives, but she soon realized she had left important documents and money in the shop. She rushed back to retrieve them, but the floodwaters were raging, and she was forced to climb a tree to escape. However, she lost her grip and fell into the waters, where she was swept away by the mud and rocks.
Pyatich's world went dark as she was buried in the mud, but she was eventually awakened by biting mosquitoes. She clung to a tree branch and pulled herself out of the mud, only to find herself unable to see. She hung on to the tree, waiting for help to arrive.
After two days, Pyatich was rescued and taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, where she spent six weeks undergoing treatment for traumatic brain injury, fractured clavicle, multiple lacerations, hypothermia, and psychological trauma. The hospital's CEO, Dr. Wilson Aruasa, and his team cleared her bill, which had accrued to Sh142,000.
Pyatich was discharged from the hospital yesterday, filled with gratitude to God for allowing her to live to tell her story. She thanked the doctors, medics, and nurses who treated her, saying, 'Dr. Aruasa and his team have been like family to me. During the death of my father two weeks ago, the hospital has been supportive of me. They organised for me to attend the burial.'
