Three children died in a landslide on Tuesday following a heavy downpour in Kabirong village in Kunyak Location in Kipkellion West in Kericho County.
Miriam Chepngetich, 6, died in the mudslide that occurred at around 6.40 pm during a heavy downpour lasting hours. The body of Chepngetich who was sheltering in their timber house with her parents could not be traced until late in the night in the incident in which her father, Peter Mutai and mother escaped the ordeal.
The Second and third child died at Kamasian location in Kipkellion West after mudslides buried them alive as they return from down the river, the children were aged two years and nine years.
Confirming the incident after visiting the affected sites, Kericho County Commissioner (CC), Moses Mbaruku who was accompanied by the top security team and Red Cross personnel from Kericho said they had lost four children in the last 18 hours since last evening.
Mbaruku said that the fourth child a standard eight candidate, Jackline Cherotich aged 16 years lost her life as she was crossing river Rwandet last evening as she was returning from weeding their family maize across the river at Kipsole village in Kipkellion West Constituency. Cherotich was a standard eight candidate at Kapsole primary school.
The CC visited the scene and later condoled the family together with Kipkelion West legislator, Hilary Koskei appealed to the residents of Kericho who are living along landslide prone zones in the County to move to safer grounds now that the area was receiving unusual heavy downpours and can trigger landslides.
Koskei speaking to the residents of Kapsole village after condoling the bereaved family of the standard eight candidate in his constituency appealed to the government to the government to urgently come to the assistance of the affected families.
The legislator noted that the families who were affected by the mudslides were many and they had lost food and property worth thousands of shillings.
By Dominic Cheres
