Eight years, no Destination: Family of six seeks help for uncontrollable walking urge

Grace Kemunto and David Makori at Kericho Police Station’s Child Protection Unit on January 29, 2026. [Nikko Tanui, Standard]

After eight years of walking across the country with their children in tow, a mysterious family from Nyamira County has finally broken its silence.

The family, comprising a man, his wife and their four children aged between eight years and eight months, was spotted trekking from the Kipsitet side before being rescued by well-wishers.

Their interception followed swift action by Belgut MP Nelson Koech, who dispatched a search team after learning of the family’s plight.

The legislator took to social media on Wednesday, pledging to support the family by building them a house and ensuring the children are enrolled in school.

Speaking at the Kericho Child Protection Unit, 36-year-old Grace Kemunto said this was the third time the family had passed through Kericho during their trek, and the third time they had been taken to a police station for their own safety.

Kemunto, who was accompanied by her husband David Makori, said the journey began eight years ago after her husband, then a carpenter, suddenly lost interest in his trade. He later tried selling sugarcane but abandoned it as well, after which an unexplained urge to keep walking took over their lives. “I cannot explain what caused us to start walking. One day we just found ourselves far from home,” she said.

“Even when a Good Samaritan once bought us household items and returned us home, we left everything behind and walked out again.”

Over the years, the family has survived largely on the kindness of strangers, occasionally spending nights in rented rooms, private homes, churches or police stations when exhaustion overwhelmed them. Most days and nights, however, were spent on foot.

Kemunto revealed that some of her children were born along the road during the family’s travels. Her youngest child was delivered at a traffic police station in Turbo under extremely difficult conditions.

She explained that the family does not carry luggage or spare clothes, saying any extra load would slow them down.

Kemunto dismissed claims that the family was under a curse or spell, saying their situation could not be explained by superstition.

She described their eight-year journey, mostly on foot with occasional lifts, as a miracle sustained by divine protection, saying faith had kept them alive. “You cannot walk every day, give birth, and then walk again carrying a baby unless God is with you,” she said.

Her greatest wish, she added, is for the mysterious urge to walk to disappear so the family can live a normal life and give their children stability.

Kericho East Sub-County Police Commander Tom Makori confirmed that the family is currently being housed at the Child Protection Unit. “The family needs counselling and support,” Makori said.