State to resettle families displaced by Chesongoch mudslide

The government is working on resettling those affected by the Elgeyo Marakwet mudslide early this month.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who spoke during the funeral service of eight of the 39 people who were killed in the November 1 mudslide, says the move will not only assist the affected persons but also safeguard the lives of others living in similar conditions.

The caskets carried not just the mortal remains of eight of the 39 souls that perished on the night of first November, but the hopes and dreams of a people devastated by nature’s fury.

The community of Embobut and Sambirir, and the leadership, rallied around the families of the deceased as the tragedy touched nearly everyone in the village — this is their shared grief.

"Niliskia kijana ameenda, alikuwa mtu mtulivu, alikuwa anaenda shule anafanya mambo yake," Luka Kimutai, father of the deceased, said.

"Tumepoteza mtu wa maana sana, alikuwa tegemeo kwa mambo mengi. Tulikuwa tunatumia yeye kuchunga, kuongelesha wenzake," another relative Diana Cheserek said.

The gravity of their losses etched on their faces and stamped in their hearts, the future for them now uncertain.

"Hatuna makao, nyumba zetu zilisombwa, hatuna wazazi, tuko tu," Eliud Kipruto, an uncle of the deceased, said.

The mudslide killed 39 people, and nearly 10 are still missing. Those who survived are now in need of an alternative settlement. The community here say they should be resettled in Embobut as a matter of urgency.

"Watu wakatolewa Embobut wakaambiwa waende below the road. Below the road hapa sasa ndio wakafagiwa na hii landslide wote," Marakwet Mashariki MP Kangogo Bowen noted.

"Lazima tukue na special budget ndiyo tu-address the whole issue of settlement along the escarpment."

CS Murkomen says the government is already looking into a long-term solution to the crisis of housing and settlement for the residents of the valley, but before then, he says the residents must be proactive in protecting the environment and themselves.

"Tuko na process ya kuregularise the below the road… tuangalie vizuri tuone hiyo line ya below the road. We want Embobut under the government of William Ruto, hii sio ingine, ndiyo itapatia watu title deed," stated Murkomen.

The eight deceased will be interred on Thursday at their various homes. The funeral services for 29 others who died in the Chesongoch mudslide will be conducted on Friday.