Heavy overnight rains triggered deadly flash floods in Nairobi, Kenya, killing at least 23 people and causing widespread destruction across the capital city, authorities confirmed Saturday.
The torrential rainfall, which began late Friday, rapidly turned major streets into rushing rivers. The floods submerged thousands of homes and businesses, from informal settlements to upmarket districts such as Parklands. Rescue operations continued throughout Saturday, with teams retrieving bodies and rescuing residents trapped in collapsed structures or rising waters. Police reported that at least 29 people were saved overnight and that forces remained deployed for search and rescue.
The scale of devastation prompted public criticism directed at Nairobi’s drainage infrastructure. Governor Johnson Sakaja, who took office in 2022 promising to address road and drainage issues, faced calls for accountability from activists and political opponents who cited an absence of effective flood management systems.
The disaster highlights a growing climate vulnerability. Scientific research indicates an increasing frequency of extreme wet and dry periods in East Africa over the past two decades. This volatility follows a period of severe drought in parts of Kenya, including neighboring Mandera County last month, which decimated livestock. Somalia and Ethiopia have also experienced similar climatic extremes.
Kenya Airways diverted several scheduled flights from Nairobi to Mombasa due to the storm conditions. The Kenyan Red Cross reported that hundreds of households in surrounding counties were affected, with extensive farmland damage.
A Red Cross spokesperson called for coordinated government and humanitarian efforts to address the immediate crisis and understand the recurring pattern of extreme weather impacts. The event underscores the pressing need for resilient urban drainage and climate adaptation strategies in Nairobi and across the region, as meteorologists predict continued erratic rainfall patterns.
