A quiet evening in Pamba Village, Kajulu East Location, Kisumu East Sub-County, turned into a scene of heartbreak after violent winds and pounding rain unleashed a deadly force on a family home.

At around 7.30pm, as heavy rainfall battered the area, strong winds uprooted a massive tree which came crashing down onto the main house of 60-year-old Gordon Okeyo. The impact completely flattened the house, trapping eight members of the household beneath the rubble.

The incident was reported to Gita Police Station by the Assistant Chief of Okok Sublocation, Madam Winnie Odundo. Police officers led by the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Gita immediately rushed to the scene. Working through the night, they were joined by members of the public and the Kisumu County Government fire brigade in a desperate rescue mission.

After hours of painstaking efforts, rescuers managed to remove the huge log and debris. Sadly, three bodies were retrieved from the ruins: Gordon Okeyo, the head of the homestead, and two young boys, eight-year-old Alphonse Karer and six-year-old Prince Anyul.

Five other family members were pulled out alive but in critical condition. They include 72-year-old Salina Ajuang Anyul, Kevin Onyango Juma (13), Brian Omondi Ochieng (19), Barak Anwi (7), and five-year-old Triza Anyul. All were rushed to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, where they remain admitted under specialised care.

The bodies of the deceased were also taken to the same facility’s morgue, where postmortem examinations are expected to be conducted.

Police have since opened investigations into the incident, which remains under inquiry as detectives from Kisumu East continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.