Twenty-five people with serious injuries were airlifted to Eldoret, while those with minor injuries received treatment locally. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen urged residents living near seasonal rivers and unstable slopes to relocate immediately to safer areas.
Elgeyo-Marakwet lies within Kenya’s western Rift Valley, where the Elgeyo Escarpment rises sharply from the Kerio Valley. The area’s steep terrain and highly erodible soils make it one of the country’s most landslide-prone regions. Annual rainfall varies widely—from roughly 31.5 inches in lower valleys to more than 78.7 inches in upland zones—depending on elevation and microclimate.
Historically, the county has recorded multiple deadly slides, including events in 2010 and 2012. In neighboring West Pokot County, a 2019 landslide claimed 52 lives. The pattern reflects a growing hazard trend as climate variability accelerates across East Africa.
Kenya experiences two rainy seasons: the “long rains” from March to May and the “short rains” from October to December. Recent climate analyses show that while total annual rainfall has fluctuated, intensity has increased—more water is falling in shorter periods, overwhelming drainage systems and destabilizing slopes.
A climate risk profile for Elgeyo-Marakwet confirms that rainfall variability, deforestation, and cultivation on steep hillsides have combined to amplify landslide risk. The result is greater soil saturation and faster runoff during each storm cycle.
Scientists link these trends to climate change, which has made heavy rainfall events in East Africa up to twice as likely compared to pre-industrial conditions, according to AP analysis. Warmer air holds more moisture, fueling intense storms like those that swept across Kenya in late October and early November.
The El Niño cycle has also intensified, compounding rainfall extremes. In 2024, Kenya endured one of its most violent El Niño seasons since 1950, inundating several Rift Valley counties and leaving thousands displaced, as reported by Le Monde.
Authorities are now focusing on relocation, slope stabilization, and improved early-warning systems. Kenya’s meteorological department has been expanding flood-risk mapping and real-time monitoring networks, though many rural communities remain without reliable alerts.
Longer term, experts say Kenya must integrate climate projections into land-use planning and infrastructure design. Without such adaptation, communities like Chesongoch will continue to face increasing threats from climate-driven hazards.
