© Eliud Kipsang/Standard
Nicholas Kipruto Rotich assesses the damage caused by landslides in Kaptoror village, Elgeyo Marakwet County. Families in the area fear for their lives as fault lines are evident across the villages.
With a toddler firmly strapped to her back, Rose Kimutai carefully shuffles around her compound as she removes items from her house in Kaptoror village on the steep slopes of Elgeyo escarpment. Dozens of residents can also be seen hauling their property into a waiting truck to be carted away.
The mass exodus has been motivated by the development of huge fissures around their houses.
"It all began on Thursday last week following an overnight downpour. When I tried to open the door in the morning, I noticed that it wouldn't open properly. And then I saw a crack on the ground. When I managed to come out, there was an even bigger crack," Kimutai told
The Standard team when we visited the area earlier this week.
She was forced to move into a chicken coop a safe distance away until neighbours came to her rescue. "The cracks are dangerous and one can fall into them. I have nowhere else to turn to because this has always been my home. The entire village is no longer safe for us," she said.
The fissures that stretch more than ten kilometers have cut through Kapsegut, Ketigoi and Kalwal villages and residents are living in fear that the area might sink.
Comment: It would appear that volcanic and geologic activity around the world is on the increase:
- Merapi volcano in Indonesia erupts for the 2nd time in 2 weeks
- Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser erupts for 5th time this year
- Uncharted territory: Kilauea lava flow begins engulfing Hawaii's geothermal power plant
- Worldwide volcanic activity raises concerns of US West Coast's chain of 13 active volcanoes
- 10km earth crack emerges on Elgeyo escarpment, Kenya
For more pics of June 1st's eruption at Mount Merapi click here.