Tragedy Strikes as Landslide Death Toll Surges in Uganda and Kenya

Tue Nov 04 2025 02:46:19 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A series of devastating landslides have taken a heavy toll on communities along the Uganda-Kenya border, claiming over 40 lives and leaving many missing. Survivors share harrowing accounts of their losses as rescue efforts continue amid ongoing rainfall and landslide threats.

Recent landslides along the mountainous border of Uganda and Kenya have led to the deaths of over 40 people. Survivors recount the tragic events and the heavy toll it has taken on families. Search operations are underway to find those still missing, as authorities warn of further risks due to continuing rainfall in the region.

More than 40 people are now known to have died after multiple landslides struck Kenya and Uganda's mountainous border region last week.

I lost a grandmother, a maternal aunt, an uncle, two sisters, a family friend and a cousin. They were staying together in Kaptul village, Felix Kemboi told the BBC on the Ugandan side.

So distressed was the 30-year-old Felix that he struggled to put the experience into words.

On both sides of the border, many people are still missing and search and rescue teams have been sent out to find them, amid warnings that more landslides could occur.

As heavy rainfall continues to be experienced across several parts of the country, the risk of landslides, especially along the Kerio Valley region, is heightened, warns Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen.

He is urging residents of affected areas to be cautious of any earth movements and says local authorities are moving those at risk to higher ground.

Fourteen schoolchildren were among the dozens of Kenyans killed when two mudslides struck the Great Rift Valley area, according to the country's education ministry.

Survivors in eastern Uganda have shared terrifying accounts with the BBC.

We were sleeping at night, we [heard] a huge sound. The neighbours came running. 'You wake up'. The mountain is coming. My niece and brother died, recalls Helda Narunga Masai.

Her home in Kween village was destroyed in the mudslide and she is now staying with a neighbour.

A local leader, Mande David Kapcheronge, indicated that the recovery efforts are being hampered by the difficult conditions caused by the mudslides.

Experts warn that certain regions in Uganda and Kenya, prone to landslides, are not suitable for residential development. The Ugandan government is providing financial assistance to the bereaved, while the Kenyan government has yet to announce its measures for survivors.

This disaster marks one of the deadliest landslide events in the region recently, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities in the face of climate change and extreme weather patterns.