Tragedy Strikes: Landslides Claim Lives in Uganda and Kenya

Tue Nov 04 2025 18:51:13 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A recent series of devastating landslides in Uganda and Kenya have led to over 40 fatalities as families mourn the loss of their loved ones. Search and rescue operations are underway, with concerns of more landslides looming amid heavy rainfall.

Over 40 people have lost their lives due to multiple landslides along the Kenya-Uganda border. Felix Kemboi, a survivor, recounts the loss of family members in Kaptul village, while ongoing heavy rains increase the risk of further landslides. Rescue teams are tirelessly searching for those still missing amidst a landscape drastically altered by the natural disaster. Local governments are offering financial support to bereaved families, acknowledging the immense tragedy that has unfolded.

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 Kenyan 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.

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. Helda Narunga Masai recalls, 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. Helda's home in Kween village was destroyed in the mudslide and she is currently staying with a neighbor.

According to local leaders, rescue teams are using rudimentary tools to dig up heaps of mud in recovering the bodies of those who have died. In response to this latest disaster, the Ugandan government is providing bereaved families with financial assistance as search operations continue despite difficult conditions.