As often happens, the October and November rains in the Rift Valley bring death.

The death toll from the landslide that struck the Marakwet East area in Elgeyo Marakwet County on Friday evening, whose main town is Eldoret, has already risen to 26.

This has been confirmed by the Kenyan government, while emergency teams continue to search for at least as many people who are still missing.

Home Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen reported that the bodies have been transported to the Kapteren airstrip for identification and delivery to their families. Another 50 people are hospitalised, evacuated by helicopter from the disaster site with serious injuries.

Rescue operations, which were halted on Saturday due to bad weather and mud-blocked roads, resumed at dawn on Sunday with the collaboration of a multi-agency team comprising the Kenyan Armed Forces, National Police, Kenya Red Cross, National Disaster Management Centre and county government officials.

‘Search and rescue operations have entered their second day,’ Murkomen said, explaining that military and police helicopters had been made available to transport the injured and supplies. The government has sent food and essential supplies — including 600 sacks of rice, 520 sacks of beans, 1,000 blankets, 300 mattresses, 30 boxes of soap and 10 bales of sanitary pads — to affected families.

The Elgeyo Marakwet County Government is also preparing a plan to coordinate donations from citizens, businesses and organisations wishing to contribute to the relief effort.

The Kenya Red Cross has reported that some villages remain inaccessible by land due to mud and debris, while flash floods continue to hamper operations. The organisation has warned that the death toll could rise if missing persons are not found in time.

Meanwhile, national authorities are calling for caution: with the short rains still ongoing, families living near seasonal rivers or on the slopes of the Kerio Valley have been urged to move to safer areas, as saturated ground could cause further landslides.

The tragedy in Marakwet East is the latest in a long series of emergencies linked to bad weather that continue to affect Kenya's mountainous regions every rainy season, reminding us how fragile the balance between man and nature remains.

In 2024, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) report, 315 deaths in Kenya were attributed to heavy rains, floods and landslides.