Kerio Valley landslides: Normalcy returns to Chesongoch after deadly tragedy
By Wycliffe Kipsang, December 14, 2025Uneasy calm is slowly returning to many villages which were ravaged by devastating landslides in Kerio Valley in November 2025, with many people slowly returning to normalcy.
At least 40 people died, and scores of others were displaced from their homes following the tragedy, which also rendered many roads impassable.
A spot-check by People Daily Digital has revealed that many residents have begun rebuilding their lives.
Also watch: Death toll in Elgeyo Marakwet landslide rises to 39 as government plans mass burials
Many shopping centres are also on their way to recovery, with many shops already rebuilt.
The tragedy adversely affected education, with 14 learners being among the 40 people who lost their lives.
People Daily Digital has established that most of the learners were on holiday with their parents and relatives in Kerio Valley before the disaster struck on the night of November 2, 2025.
Among those who perished is Amon Kiprono, who died alongside his grandmother, Albina Ngeringwony Kipkosgei, at Kipkenda village in Keiyo North after a huge boulder rolled down and crushed their house while the duo was having supper in their house during the 8 pm incident.
Locals have called on the government to relocate them to safer grounds to avert more disasters.
The government has since rolled out a mapping of all learning institutions which were affected or destroyed following the calamity.
Rebuild after the floods
According to Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, all logistical arrangements have been put in place to ensure that all schools affected are rebuilt before opening in January 2026.
At least eight institutions were affected by the landslides, mostly in the Keiyo North and Marakwet East constituencies.
“The government is committed to safeguarding the welfare of all learners. We have put in place comprehensive measures to ensure that learning is not disrupted when schools reopen for the first term,” Bitok said.
Humanitarian support
As one of the short-term measures, Saint Maurice Secondary School learners will be moved to Kapkondot Secondary School.
According to Bitok, the government has also commenced infrastructure restoration to ensure that the first term will resume without interruption.
“Psychosocial support teams have also been on the ground since the tragedy occurred and have been providing emotional and psychological counselling to affected learners, teachers and families,” the PS stated.
On his part, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba said that the government is putting in place strategies to relocate agricultural farmers who have encroached beyond the designated boundary, popularly known as the ‘Spencer Line’.
“This encroachment has significantly contributed to the destruction of forests and the environment. We want residents to prioritise environmental conservation as one alternative way to prevent disasters like these from occurring in the future,” said Murkomen during a tour of the area early this week.
Local leaders have proposed that the affected high-risk areas be converted for planting trees such as coffee and avocado.
“This will promote cash crop farming for residents while simultaneously conserving the environment. Our people living in the hanging valley need to be relocated at least to live in a decent and safe place,” Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich said.
The refurbishment of the road network from Embobut to Embolot, which had been rendered impassable following the tragedy, has already been completed.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku said the government has supported all families affected by disasters, including those hit by the recent landslide in Chesongoch, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Ruku said the ministry was collaborating with other ministries, government agencies, and departments to develop and roll out programmes aimed at helping communities adapt to the effects of disasters and, more broadly, climate change.
“The Ministry is doing everything possible to ensure affected families are resettled, return to normalcy and rebuild their lives in a dignified manner,” Ruku told People Daily on the phone.
He reiterated that the Ministry is spearheading the rebuilding of homes and restoration of livelihoods in Chesongoch, adding that the state also covered hospital bills for victims and provided support for funeral costs for the bereaved families.