Chesogon tragedy: When the heavens rained destruction

Years of painstaking work building peace and cohesion between warring communities on the Elgeyo-Marakwet-West Pokot border was undone in a flash by the deadly mudslides in Chesogon last Saturday.

Nature, rather than man, was the culprit this time as the region was once again steeped in the pain of loss and tears of grief. Mud, sludge and huge boulders lay waste to what was once a fast-rising centre thanks to the returning peace in the volatile region.

The tragedy came less than a year after Deputy President William Ruto led governors, MPs and hundreds of the town’s residents in celebrations last August over a hard-won peace after months of dialogue.

BANDITRY
Since then, there has not been a single incident of banditry. And today would have been market day, teeming with hundreds of residents from both communities mingling freely with traders from as far away as Nakuru, Eldoret and Iten.

Tuesday, instead, survivors stood around forlorn and downcast, counting their losses. Everything had been destroyed.
The local police station, hardware shops, Liter Secondary School, a goat auction area, a Catholic church, the chief’s office … all gone.
Memories are all that remain. A man here and another there would grievingly point at an empty space where something of importance once stood.

“This is where the police station was. There were quite a number of officers who stayed there. I think they were 20 officers or so. Next was the chief’s office. Not far from there was a big shop that the owner had just restocked on Saturday, just before tragedy struck.

That tree is where the goat auction was always done on Wednesdays and Sundays,” said Mr Allan Korir, as he jumped from one huge boulder to another, grim reminders of death and destruction. Before Saturday, there was not a single huge rock in the town.

HORROR

With nature’s destructive finality, the surrounding hills were let loose upon the plains below, raining rock and sludge on the fledgling town.
Those lucky enough to have survived the carnage described in horror a spectacle of nature’s fury that swallowed a busy town whole, killing at least 12 people. Over 20 were still missing by Tuesday. It is something they said they will never forget.

“Traders would be arriving today (Tuesday) and setting up their stalls in readiness for the market day tomorrow (Wednesday). I would be preparing to slaughter goats to sell their meat. Now I am struggling to locate where my butchery was. All I can see are huge rocks. I never imagined that such a thing could ever happen here. Never,” said Ms Jackeline Koriimuk, who owned a butchery and was still recovering from the shock of losing stock worth Sh75,000.

She had just about lost her voice due to screaming and wailing. For Mr Solomon Boisio, it was his fast legs that saved him. But he now has to live with heart-wrenching memories as he remembers all too vividly how the tragedy unfolded.

“I ran as fast as my legs could allow, crossed the river and stood on other side, which is raised and safe. The river was not as swollen at the time but moments later, mud and rocks came crashing down the slopes. I saw people rushing to climb trees as they screamed for help. Others fell over and were swept away,” he said.

DOUBLE TRAGEDY

For Ms Linet Thomas, it was a double tragedy. She lost her husband Thomas Toiyungole to the last banditry attack in the area before peace was restored and was just picking up the shattered pieces of her life when nature smashed them again.

“I farmed mangoes on a small piece of land in the town. I made Sh30,000 per year. There is not a single mango tree that remained. The area was flattened. I am struggling to even locate where my land was,” the mother of seven told the Nation.

Meanwhile, the weatherman has warned of heavy rainfall over the next seven days, in the latest seven-day forecast covering April 21 to 27.

“The heavy rainfall of more than 30mm which is being experienced over several parts of the country is expected to continue over western, central region including Nairobi area, north eastern, north western and coastal region of Kenya.

“In the western and central regions, the rainfall intensity will progressively increase to 40mm between Thursday and Friday but the heavy rainfall is expected to reduce across the country from Saturday,” said Kenya Meteorological Department Director Stella Aura.

Nairobi, Machakos, Makueni, Embu, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Meru, Tharaka-Nithi, Nyeri, Kiambu, Nakuru, Nyandarua, Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Nyamira and Kisii counties will experience heavy rainfall of more than 100mm, same as Homa Bay, Kisumu, Nandi, Vihiga, Siaya and some parts of Kitui, Kajiado, Bungoma, Laikipia and Samburu.