Freak weather and two hours of torrential rains, furious winds and hail storms caused flooding and mass destruction in Marigat, Baringo South.
No casualties were reported in the drought-stricken area from 5pm to 7pm on Saturday.
Crops were destroyed, trees and electricity polls downed, roofs were blown off houses and the area briefly turned into an ocean.
"To me this is historical," elder Stephen Ng'etich, 70, said.
"I was born and raised here in Marigat and I have never experienced this kind of rain."
Ng'etich said that it is believed that such torrential rains signify danger ahead, or they sometimes bring forth blessings. "But for now, we can't tell," he told the Star.
He said heavy rains were experienced in 1961 and 1997 but they lasted over a period of time and were not of such magnitude.
"The difference is El Nino rains took days and weeks in smaller quantities. But this fell just once and caused shocking destruction," Ng'etich said.
Some families were forced to spend the night in the cold after the roofs were blown off their houses. Some structures were flooded and people displaced.
Huge desert acacia trees and numerous wooden and concrete electric poles were blown over, causing a blackout in Marigat town.
Trees fell on houses but families and children were rescued by their neighbours.
Transportation along the Marigat-Loruk-Nakuru highway was cut off and blocked by fallen trees.
Streams overflowed and culverts burst at Loberer and Endao along the Marigat-Kampi ya Samaki-Loruk road. Passengers were forced to alight, remove their shoes and wade through flowing water.
Some men rolled up their sleeves and trousers to carry women and children across the water for about an hour until flooding subsided.
Traders had to shut down businesses.
"Our shops and the marketplace were covered with water," town trader Jennifer Saningo said.
Crops in the Perkerra irrigation scheme were hit by hailstones and flooding.
"We are not sure if the crops will ever grow again, but we trust it is God's plan," farmer Charles Charles Bartonjo said.
Marigat location chief Zephaniah Lekachuma called the destruction massive.
Water poured into houses, some roofs were blown off, businesses and farms suffered, he said.
Chainsaw operators were hired to clear away fallen trees and open roads.
On Sunday, it was sunny.
(Edited by V. Graham)
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