Eldoret, 06 November, 2025 / 8:47 PM
When the ground trembled and a deafening roar tore through the night of October 31, the members of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters (OSB) in Chesongoch, Kenya thought the generator had malfunctioned. But desperate cries at the convent gate quickly revealed a terrifying truth.
“Sisters, open the gate! Let us die together here!” villagers shouted as raging floodwaters and a massive landslide swallowed homes along the riverbank.
“It was not the generator. It was the river bursting its banks. We knew it was the end,” recalls Sr. Lilian Muoti Raymond in a report shared with ACI Africa on Thursday, November 6.
A Night of Chaos and Prayer
Chesongoch Mission Hospital, situated dangerously close to the river, was full of patients. The Sisters raced against the rising waters to evacuate the sick to the convent, which sits on slightly higher ground.
“There was much singing, praying, and desperation. People clung to faith because death felt so near,” Sr. Lilian recounts.
By dawn, silence revealed the extent of the catastrophe. Lives lost, homes buried in mud, and the once-busy hospital rendered unrecognizable.
“When one part of the body is hurt, the whole body is hurt,” she reflects.
A Hospital in Ruins
The hospital, a lifeline for thousands in the remote region, offered maternity, surgical, dental, and radiology services. Today, much of its infrastructure is destroyed.
“Our generators and power stabilizer were carried away. Several beds are destroyed, our water source is gone, and we have no electricity,” Sr. Lilian says.
With medical wards flooded, classrooms have become makeshift treatment centers.
“It’s painful because ours is the only hospital in the area with a theater and blood transfusion services,” the OSB member says.
Faith as Anchor
Even amid devastation, the Sisters’ hope has not wavered.
“I feel the Year of Hope was meant for us. Without prayer and faith, it is easy to lose the essence of life,” Sr. Lilian says in reference to the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year.
She finds strength in remembering past challenges God has carried them through.
Despite loss, the Sisters have witnessed extraordinary solidarity.
“We have the Red Cross, Ministry of Health, Kenya Defence Forces, and Disaster Management on the ground,” she say, adding that the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) and the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret are also offering assistance.
Local residents have shown profound gratitude, inviting the Sisters to join the disaster response committee.
The Sisters are focused on restoring temporary health services while planning reconstruction.
“People of goodwill can help with food, medication, replacing destroyed machines, and building a waste-burning chamber. If they have nothing material to offer, prayers and encouragement matter,” Sr. Lilian appeals.
To the Church and the nation, she says, “Let’s stand together and pray for each other. Let’s never lose trust in God. Seeing the intensity of the floods, I expected our hospital to be swept away, yet all patients were saved.”
For the OSB members in Chesongoch, tragedy has deepened their vocation. Their motto—We Treat, God Heals—has never been more real.
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Even surrounded by mud and loss, their faith rises higher than the flood.
Sr. Michelle Njeri, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (OSF) in Kenya contributed to this story.
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