On Tuesday afternoon, Zakayo Ruto arrived at his village in Kapchebogel, Baringo North, after spending a few days in the lower Sutyechun grazing his goats.
On the fateful day, he found his 13-year-old daughter at home doing her daily chores, while the other members of the family were at the farm, some distance from the house, harvesting beans with other villagers.
According to the father of five, he decided to rest for a few hours before heading to Kabarnet town, dozens of kilometres away, to run an errand. At the time, his 13-year-old daughter had been left at home to do some chores while other members of the family harvested beans on the farm.
Mr Ruto left some money with his daughter so that her mother could pay the farm workers before he left, and was unable to talk to them that night due to a network problem.
In the morning, he was awakened by the news that a heavy downpour the night before had caused a massive landslide in his village, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Little did he know that his family had been swept away in the landslide.
Kenya Red Cross team and locals searching the bodies of victims of a landslide at Kapchebogel village in Baringo North on August 7, 2024.
Mr Ruto said he was very worried after receiving the news and travelled back to the village to see for himself.
On arrival, he was shocked to find that his four-bedroom house, a kitchen and a shop had been flattened and reduced to a mere field.
Massive destruction
"I almost collapsed when I saw the massive destruction left behind by the landslide. My two houses and a shop were nowhere to be seen, including my father's house, where my son and nephew were sleeping, which had also been flattened and where the structures used to be had been reduced to a field - you couldn't believe there were houses there," he said, fighting back tears.
"I was overcome with emotion and wept bitterly. From all indications, the occupants had been swept away by the landslide. I lost everything - my wife, my two sons (aged 11 and 15) and my 16-year-old nephew, who were sleeping together in my late father's house, were also buried under the debris. Except for the clothes on my back, I have nothing left, not even a spoon. All the crops on the farm were also completely destroyed by the landslide, which cut off more than a kilometre of land," said Mr Ruto.
Although he associated his narrow escape from the landslide with his journey that fateful day, he was tormented by the loss of four family members - his wife, two sons and his nephew.
Locals mill around an area cut off by a landslide that occurred at Kapkombe village, Baringo North on Tuesday night, killing a woman after sweeping away two houses.
"I am still struggling to come to terms with what has happened to me. Although I am lucky to be alive today because I was not at home when the incident happened, I am pained because my wife Galdys Chepkangor, 38, died along with my two sons - Evans Katamei and Jonathan Katamei who were in Grade Five and Form One respectively and my nephew Hillary Kabutiei who was in Form Three. Three bodies have been recovered but my son who was in Form One is still missing," he lamented.
During the incident on Tuesday night, his 13-year-old daughter, who was sleeping with her mother and younger brother, also narrowly survived after clinging to a tree after they were thrown out of their house by the falling mud and rocks.
"She managed to cling to a tree for a few minutes after being swept away by the landslides almost 400 metres from the house and later took refuge in a neighbour's house. Another son also survived after sleeping at the shopping centre that fateful night because he could reach home, two kilometres away, due to the heavy rains," said Mr Ruto.
The distraught man is now appealing for the body of his missing son to be recovered so that he can bury him alongside the deceased family members.
The Kenya Red Cross team and locals carry the body of one of the victims retrieved following a landslide at Kapchebogel village in Baringo North on August 7, 2024.
"I am so devastated. I am just appealing for help to recover my son's body so that we can bury him. I lost four members of my family in the tragedy and all my belongings. Together with my three remaining children, we are now homeless with no place to live. My livelihood has also been destroyed by the landslide. I am asking the government to provide me with alternative land because I don't have anywhere to go and I am afraid to live in this land again," he added.
Twin landslides
The night's tragedy also struck the neighbouring village of Kapkombe, killing a middle-aged woman after two of her houses were swept away downstream.
Two adults and three minors were among those killed in the twin landslides. Four bodies have been recovered and the search for the missing teenager is ongoing.
Baringo County Commissioner Stephen Kutwa said rescue operations were still underway to find the missing teenager and appealed to residents in landslide-prone areas in the region to move to safer areas to avert further disasters due to heavy rains.
Kenya Red Cross team and locals searching the bodies of victims of a landslide at Kapchebogel village in Baringo North on August 7, 2024.
"We have asked all residents in the affected area to move upstream and they can stay at Kasisit Primary School until the situation normalises because the affected areas are very muddy and the rains continue. The state will provide them with the necessary support to make them feel more comfortable," said the county commissioner.
Baringo Deputy Governor Felix Maiyo said more than 35 households were affected by the landslides and three houses were completely destroyed.
He noted that the county has been experiencing heavy rains for the past week, which triggered landslides in Baringo North and Baringo Central sub-counties.
"Some roads have been cut off and water pipes have also been destroyed following the heavy downpour. The water level in Lake Baringo has risen tremendously, raising fears of flooding in areas bordering the lake. We urge people living near the lake to be on high alert and move to safer areas," said Mr Maiyo.
He also urged people living near rivers to be careful, saying they were closely monitoring water levels in flood-prone areas to avert any incident.
The deputy governor said the county government has already partnered with humanitarian agencies such as the Kenya Red Cross Society, the National Disaster Management Authority and the World Food Programme to mitigate against disasters.
The incident happened a week after a landslide cut off the Kabarnet- Tenges road, paralyzing transport in the area.
