At least 23 people were killed, flights were disrupted, and the Kenyan army was deployed after torrential overnight rains turned large parts of Nairobi into fast‑moving flood channels, submerging cars, and stranding motorists for hours on Saturday. Police and emergency officials warned that the death toll could rise as search‑and‑rescue teams worked through gridlocked traffic and waist‑deep water to reach flooded homes and stalled vehicles across the capital and its outskirts.
A night of rain, a morning of wreckage
The downpour began late Friday and intensified through the night, overwhelming drainage systems in the low‑lying city and transforming highways into brown, churning rivers. Videos shared on Kenyan social media showed saloon cars and minibuses almost completely submerged, residents wading through hip‑high water and furniture floating out of ground‑floor homes.
By early Saturday, police said many motorists had spent hours trapped on flooded roads, some abandoning their vehicles to seek higher ground as engines stalled and waters rose. Nairobi police chief George Seda told local media that victims included people swept away by fast‑moving water and others who were electrocuted when floodwaters came into contact with electrical infrastructure.
Some of the worst‑hit areas were informal settlements and low‑income neighborhoods built along riverbanks and in natural drainage channels, where flimsy housing offers little protection from flash floods.
Death toll climbs to 23 as rescuers push through gridlock
Initial reports on Saturday morning put the number of confirmed deaths at between eight and 10, but that figure rose steadily as the day went on. By evening, Kenya’s National Police Service said 23 people had been killed across Nairobi and surrounding areas, and at least 29 others rescued from vehicles and flooded homes.
Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyagah listed sprawling low‑income settlements such as Mukuru, Kibra and Mathare among the worst affected, along with neighborhoods in South B and South C, Pipeline/Embakasi, Roysambu, Kahawa West, Githurai and parts of Westlands.
Major arteries including Uhuru Highway, Mombasa Road, the Thika Superhighway, Jogoo Road, Enterprise Road and Lang’ata Road were partially or completely impassable for hours. That gridlock, Nyagah said, severely hampered emergency operations: “We are urging motorists to exercise extreme caution and avoid flooded sections while we work to clear the roads.”
Army and Red Cross deployed as civilian services struggle
With city emergency responders overwhelmed, the government ordered the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) to deploy rescue units to support the National Disaster Operations Centre, county teams and the Kenya Red Cross.
Armored trucks and military rapid‑response units waded into floodwaters to tow stalled vehicles, redirect traffic, and evacuate families from submerged homes. Along the elevated Nairobi Expressway, toll operators temporarily waived fees so stranded drivers could use the higher roadbed to bypass flooded sections below.
Kenya Red Cross Secretary‑General Ahmed Idris said teams were “working tirelessly to assist those stranded,” but noted that “we are severely limited by the traffic and the situation on what used to be roads.” Volunteers used inflatable boats and makeshift rafts in some low‑lying estates, while others formed human chains to help elderly residents cross fast‑moving water.
Flights disrupted at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
The floods also rippled into the skies. National carrier Kenya Airways said operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) were disrupted, with some flights forced to divert to the coastal city of Mombasa and others delayed for hours as crews struggled to reach the airport.
Images posted online showed passengers crowded in departure halls and long queues at check‑in counters as airline staff tried to rebook travelers. Kenya Airways warned that knock‑on effects could last well into the weekend, advising customers to expect schedule changes and check alerts before heading to the airport.
Cargo operators also reported delays, raising concerns about short‑term disruptions to supply chains that rely on Nairobi as a regional hub for perishable exports and humanitarian shipments.
“The whole city is flooded yet again”: anger over drainage and planning
As rescue operations continued, public frustration over Nairobi’s chronic flooding problems boiled over online. Many residents blamed clogged drainage systems and unregulated construction in waterways for turning heavy rain into lethal floods.
“The whole city is flooded yet again. How long will officials keep ignoring the lack of drainage?” wrote Nairobi resident Aisha Bajaber on X, echoing dozens of similar posts.
Experts and civil‑society groups have long warned that rapid, often informal urban growth has paved over wetlands and blocked natural drainage paths across the capital. During previous rainy seasons, similar storms have triggered landslides and flash floods that killed hundreds and displaced thousands nationwide.
Kenya’s Public Service and Special Programs Minister Geoffrey Ruku said he was coordinating national disaster preparedness and response, urging residents to “prioritize their safety” and avoid unnecessary travel. But he also faced questions about why known flood‑prone zones remained so vulnerable despite repeated government pledges to fix drainage and resettle at‑risk communities.
Climate risks and the long‑rains season
The latest disaster struck just as Kenya entered its long‑rains season, which typically runs from late February or March through May. Climate scientists say East Africa is experiencing more frequent extremes, both droughts and intense downpours, as global warming alters weather patterns over the Indian Ocean.
In recent years, the region has lurched between multi‑year droughts that devastated crops and pastures, and sudden floods that wiped out homes and infrastructure. Urban centers like Nairobi, with dense populations and patchy infrastructure, are especially exposed.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has said that heavy rains are likely to keep falling over the weekend and into Monday. This has made people in Nairobi and nearby counties like Kiambu and Kajiado even more worried about more flooding. Officials have told people who live in low-lying or riverside areas to move to higher ground if they can.
Human stories: from trapped commuters to flooded homes
Behind the statistics are thousands of disrupted lives.
Commuters described leaving offices on Friday evening only to spend the night in their cars as traffic froze and floodwaters made key junctions impassable. Some said they abandoned vehicles to walk home through water that reached their hips, holding bags and children above their heads.
In informal settlements, residents woke to find water lapping at their beds, with mud and sewage flowing through cramped alleyways. Many lost household goods, food supplies and schoolbooks; few have insurance.
For families of the dead and missing, the shock was immediate and raw. Police said some victims were found still strapped into car seats where they had been trapped overnight; others were discovered in drains and ditches after waters receded.
What comes next
As waters slowly recede in some districts and rise in others, Nairobi now faces both an emergency response and a longer‑term reckoning.
Officials say that their top priorities right now are:
- Continuing search and rescue operations and keeping track of the missing.
- Clearing big roads and getting public transportation and airports back up and running.
- Giving those who have been hurt or forced to leave their homes temporary shelter, food, and medical care.
Urban planners and climate experts say that Nairobi must do the following in the long term:
- Put a lot of money into modern drainage systems and make sure that buildings and dumps don’t end up in waterways by following planning rules.
- Make evacuation plans and early warning systems better for people who live in high-risk areas.
- As the city grows, make sure that transportation, housing, and power projects all include ways to make them more resilient to climate change.
For now, the city remains in crisis mode. Sirens and helicopter rotors cut through the weekend air as soldiers, police and volunteers continue to search flooded streets for survivors—a stark reminder of how quickly a night of rain can push one of Africa’s most dynamic capitals to the edge.