One dead after storms wreck homes in Elgeyo Marakwet
By Elias Kiplimo, December 16, 2025A family in the Ngor’ngoroi area, Marakwet West Constituency, Elgeyo Marakwet County, continues to mourn the death of their loved one, which occurred after a massive storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning, hit the area on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
The incident comes just under two months after the dangerous landslide witnessed in Chesongoch, Marakwet East Constituency, and Kipkenda in Keiyo North Constituency, where 39 people lost their lives.
The incident resulted in trees falling on and killing a middle-aged woman while she was going about her normal activities, leaving two other people with serious injuries.
According to some residents who witnessed the incident, led by Joseph Cheboswony and Oliver Rotich, the shocking event began around 12:30 pm on Saturday, with the clouds looking unusual in the sky.
“The wind was immense; trees started shaking and breaking on their own. Truly astonishing occurrences,” Cheboswony said.
Joseph went on to narrate that it first started as rain, where they were able to take cover, but before they realised it, it was no longer just rain. They saw the trees being shaken and broken by the unusually powerful wind.
Survivors narrate the ordeal
The resident pointed out that the wind was incredibly strong, toppling many trees, with the deceased being crushed by about twenty trees.
“If you look at these trees, they were brought down by something you can’t fathom. The force that was here was strange,” Cheboswony told People Daily digital.
On her part, Emily Raphael revealed that everything in her house has been destroyed, and they have nowhere else to live following the incident.
She stated that the rain, which is still being witnessed in the area, continues to make matters worse since they have no shelter.
“Everything in the house has been destroyed, and then the rain came back yesterday and made it worse. Now we are in trouble; we don’t have another house,” Emily stated.
Moreover, Pius Koech, the deceased’s husband, said he had gone to work elsewhere and received the news of his wife’s death with great shock while he was on the road.
“I heard on the road that my wife had passed away after the storm and rain,” says Koech.
Koech further stated that one of his children has been admitted to a hospital and is undergoing treatment, making the incident a huge blow to him.
The disaster caused extensive damage in the area, where some residents have been left homeless after their dwellings were demolished by the fierce wind.
The affected residents are now appealing to the national and Elgeyo Marakwet County governments to intervene and assist them following the incident that left them without homes, adding that it is a major disaster, and the cost for them to return to their normal lives is high.
“There are neighbours who have lost their houses. There is even one whose entire house was swept away,” Rotich said.