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At least 23 people have died following overnight flash floods in Nairobi, police said on Saturday, as search and rescue teams continued operations amid widespread destruction.
Heavy rainfall lashed the Kenyan capital late on Friday, turning major roads into fast-flowing rivers and inundating thousands of homes and businesses.
Rescue workers were still recovering bodies and assisting trapped residents on Saturday, while reporters observed severe damage to roads and infrastructure across the city, from densely populated informal settlements to affluent neighbourhoods such as Parklands.
“We are seeing devastation… A huge number of areas in the city were affected, but also counties all over the country,” said Munir Ahmed, spokesperson for the Kenya Red Cross.
Police confirmed that at least 29 people had been rescued overnight and said officers remained fully deployed to respond to emergency calls and continue search-and-rescue efforts.
Several studies have documented the increasing frequency of extreme wet and dry weather in East Africa over the past two decades, including a 2024 study on rainfall variability published in Scientific Reports.
Just last month, reports highlighted emergency-level drought conditions in Mandera County in northeastern Kenya that had killed large numbers of livestock. Neighbouring countries such as Somalia and Ethiopia have also experienced similar climate extremes.
Following Friday’s floods, anger erupted online towards Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja, who had pledged to improve drainage systems and road infrastructure when he assumed office in 2022.
“Sakaja should be in jail, not in office,” said activist Nelson Amenya on the social media platform X.
“There’s no storm water drainage system… I haven’t seen any active flood management or even preparation for it by the county of Nairobi,” he said.
“Yesterday’s flood situation was an indictment,” added Nairobi opposition senator Edwin Sifuna on X. “We need a comprehensive review of how the city drains because the piecemeal interventions are not working.”
The flooding also disrupted air travel. Kenya Airways said several flights had to be diverted from Nairobi to the coastal city of Mombasa due to the severe weather.
The Kenya Red Cross reported that hundreds of households in neighbouring counties had also been affected, while extensive areas of farmland were destroyed.
“I would call for joint efforts between the government humanitarian agencies to deal with this problem, and to understand why we are having this havoc,” Ahmed said.
