NAIROBI: At least 21 people have been confirmed dead following a massive landslide triggered by heavy rainfall in western Kenya, officials said on Saturday.

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said the landslide struck Marakwet East late Friday night.The victims’ bodies have been transferred to a nearby airstrip, while 25 others with serious injuries have been airlifted for advanced medical treatment.

More than 30 people remain missing, according to Murkomen, who said families have reported them unaccounted for.

Rescue operations have been hampered by difficult terrain and road inaccessibility due to ongoing mudslides and flash floods, the Kenya Red Cross reported.

Authorities temporarily suspended search and rescue operations on Saturday evening, citing poor weather conditions, but confirmed that efforts would resume on Sunday.

“Preparations to deliver more food and non-food relief supplies are underway,” Murkomen said, adding that military and police helicopters are on standby for transport and aid delivery.

Kenya is currently in its second rainy season, which typically brings several weeks of heavy rainfall. The government has urged residents near seasonal rivers and landslide-prone areas to relocate to safer ground.

Meanwhile, neighboring Uganda has also been hit by severe flooding and landslides near the Kenyan border, claiming several lives since Wednesday.

On Saturday, the Uganda Red Cross reported another deadly mudslide in Kapsomo village, eastern Uganda, where four people died after their home was buried.

Flooding has devastated multiple communities in Bulambuli District, where continuous rainfall has caused the Astiri and Sipi rivers to overflow, destroying homes, farmland, and local infrastructure.

Authorities in both countries have warned that persistent rainfall may continue over the coming days, heightening the risk of further landslides and flooding in the region.