By benadeta mwaura - Reporter
Kenya, January 22, 2026 - A French tourist has died after sustaining fatal injuries during a paragliding incident near Iten town, Elgeyo Marakwet County, officials confirmed on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Maud Frédérique Binaud, 49, who arrived in Kenya on 17 January 2026 as a tourist and was due to depart at the end of the month.
She and her husband, identified as Pierre Louis Henri Laurens, went paragliding toward the Nyaru area in Keiyo South on Tuesday when communication between the two was lost during their return flight. According to County Police Commander Peter Mulinge, Laurens was forced to land at Iten Sports Ground after losing contact with his wife.
Attempts to reach Binaud by radio and mobile phone were unsuccessful. He was later informed that she had been involved in an accident and was being rushed to Iten County Referral Hospital. Binaud succumbed to her injuries while receiving treatment and her body has been preserved at the hospital mortuary pending repatriation arrangements.
The accident occurred in the scenic hanging valleys of the Kerio escarpment, a popular paragliding destination in Elgeyo Marakwet that draws both local enthusiasts and foreign visitors for aerial sport and adventure tourism. While the circumstances of the accident are still under investigation, authorities confirmed that communication was lost mid-flight, prompting immediate search and rescue coordination.
It remains unclear whether equipment malfunction, weather conditions or other factors contributed to the incident. The Kerio Valley region has previously recorded fatal paragliding incidents, including a series of deaths in 2018 when two foreign visitors died after their paragliders collapsed along the escarpment, prompting safety reviews at the time.
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Elgeyo Marakwet’s rugged terrain and scenic views have made it a growing hub for adventure tourism, especially paragliding, which complements the area’s reputation as a world-class athletics training region. However, this latest tragedy renews questions about safety protocols and oversight for extreme sports activities in the area.
Local tourism stakeholders have previously highlighted the need for stronger risk management measures and clearer regulatory guidelines to protect both visitors and operators in adventure sports that carry inherent risks due to terrain and weather variability.
Police said that investigations into the cause of the accident will continue as authorities seek to establish detail on equipment used, weather conditions and any other contributory factors. The repatriation process for the deceased is also underway in coordination with French diplomatic representatives.
