Landslides kill 52 in northwestern Kenya

At least 52 people have died from landslides in West Pokot County, in Kenya's northwestern region, triggered on Saturday by abnormally heavy rains.

Following the heavy downpours that pounded the region throughout the night, several families have been left homeless after their houses were swept away by the floods or buried by the landslides.

The landslide that occurred on Saturday morning at 2:30 am, led to massive destruction of property and key infrastructure, such as bridges and roads.

According to John Lonyangapuo, the governor of West Pokot County, at least 22 people are missing and the rescue mission to retrieve bodies is ongoing.

He said 12,000 homestead and 80,000-120,000 people have been displaced or affected by the tragedy.

On Monday, Lonyangapuo called on the government to allocate a helicopter to the affected area to help in transporting bodies to the mortuary, as well as provide other needed transport services, noting that roads leading to the affected area have been rendered impassable.

To reach the affected area, Lonyangapuo said he had to walk for kilometers, riding on a motorbike at some instances.

Fred Matiang'i, the Cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Security, said the government has so far dispatched relief food, mattresses and blankets to the affected families.

Matiangi's helicopter was, however, forced to divert en route to West Pokot on Monday morning due to bad weather. The cabinet secretary was headed to Kapenguria Hospital in West Pokot to assess the situation following the landslide.

Uhuru Kenyatta, the president of Kenya, on Saturday expressed his sympathy.

"My thoughts and prayers, and those of our entire nation are with families, friends and relatives of those who lost their beloved ones in the unfortunate incident. Please accept my heartfelt condolences," he said

Kenyatta wished those in the hospital quick recovery and assured those who are yet to find their loved ones that the ongoing multi-agency rescue operation will continue until every missing person is accounted for.

He said he had directed the deployment of resources, including rescue personnel from various security and humanitarian agencies covering the Kenya Defense Forces, the National Police Service and Special Programs, to the affected region to provide mitigative action against further loss of lives.

"The operation will continue 'round the clock until the situation normalizes," he said.

Wilson Lonyang'ole, the director of Meteorological Services in West Pokot, on Monday said the affected locals ignored a directive to vacate the area.

"We gave our advisory, asking people to keep off the highland areas until when the rains subside. Some of them heeded the advice but others unfortunately ignored it," Lonyang'ole told the Standard Newspaper.

The Kenya Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rains throughout the week, with up to 30mm. Regions likely to be affected include the northwestern, south eastern, western, and central regions, including Nairobi.