A sombre mood filled St Maurus Academy in Chesongoch on Friday as families, friends and leaders came together for the mass funeral of 31 people who died in the November 1 landslides, turning the school grounds into a place of grief and renewed calls for resettlement.
Rows of caskets stood near the mausoleum where the victims were later laid to rest, as speaker after speaker urged authorities to address long-standing insecurity and unsafe settlement patterns in the Kerio Valley.
Residents and leaders said the only lasting way to prevent similar disasters is to move families living along the escarpments to safer land. They told the gathering that many households had been forced into risky areas after fleeing bandit attacks and livestock theft over the years.
Bishop Dominic Kimengich of the Eldoret Catholic Diocese said insecurity had pushed people into land that cannot support safe living or farming. He told mourners that the return of peace offered a chance to find new land for affected families.
“Households chose to move to the escarpments because of bandit attacks and livestock theft in the region. There is a need to restore sanity once and for all so that people don’t have to risk their lives by farming on valleys,” Bishop Kimengich told the mourners.
He said there was enough farmland near River Kerio, but locals stayed away due to fear. Because many ended up settling and farming on the steep valleys, the land became unstable, causing the slides that took many lives.
“We must find a lasting solution. The November 1 landslides were not the first in this area. A few years ago, there were landslides in Liter and Chesegon, leading to loss of many lives and livelihoods,” Bishop Kimengich said.
“We need to conserve the environment and launch awareness drives for people to settle and farm in appropriate places.”
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the government would support the families to rebuild and regain stability.
“We have purchased enough food and building materials. The government has money that will help build houses for the displaced families,” Mr Murkomen said.
He encouraged residents to agree on a common site where the government could set up new homes and allocate space for farming, saying this would help fast-track rebuilding.
“If possible, the residents should identify one area so that the government builds them affordable houses. We can reserve another part of the land for farming.”
He asked the community to work with chiefs and government officials to ensure relief items reach the right people. He also said families would receive financial support from the state.
He said the government would give families Sh200,000 for every life lost in the tragedy and Sh150,000 for those injured.
