Kenya Met Warns Kenyans To Prepare For More Floods As Rain Intensity Increases

As the skies continue to open up over Nairobi, residents are once again grappling with the harsh reality of seasonal flooding, a crisis that, year after year, leaves a trail of destruction in its wake.

Streets are slowly turning into rivers, with some roads now nearly impassable, disrupting daily life, damaging property, and endangering lives across the city.

From major highways to estate roads, the flooding is gradually tightening its grip, leaving both motorists and pedestrians in distress. The rising waters pose not only a threat to infrastructure but also a significant risk to human life, particularly in areas with poor drainage or no drainage at all.

For motorists, the consequences are immediate and costly; vehicles stall or get swept away by the water, resulting in thousands of shillings in repair bills. However, for mechanics and garages around Nairobi, this crisis has become an unfortunate business opportunity.

Mark Kirui, a 43-year-old father of three, experienced the worst of it earlier this week. His car stalled in Embakasi on Monday afternoon after he attempted to drive through what appeared to be shallow, stagnant water, only to find his engine overwhelmed and submerged.

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“I thought it was just a puddle,” he recounted. “Next thing I knew, my car was dead and the water was seeping inside.” He was forced to abandon the vehicle and wade through ankle-deep water to safety, joining scores of other commuters stranded due to flooded roads and delayed transport services.

The flooding’s Impact extended beyond the roads. On Monday evening, more than 130 passengers found themselves stranded at Nairobi’s Central Railway Station after torrential rains disrupted operations on the commuter train route to the Syokimau SGR station.

Travelers who had already boarded the train were dismayed when railway officials announced that the journey had to be canceled due to water along the railway line.

In response, the station’s management promised buses to ferry the commuters to Syokimau, but even by 9:15 p.m., many of the passengers were still waiting anxiously, with minimal updates on the whereabouts or estimated arrival of the alternative transport.

While the middle-class residents deal with the frustrations of delays and damaged cars, the situation is far graver for those living in Nairobi’s informal settlements. Here, the rains don’t just inconvenience, they destroy.

In slums like Mathare, Kibera, and Mukuru, the heavy rains frequently give rise to deadly flash floods. These surging waters often tear through the flimsy structures many call home, sweeping away belongings and, in tragic cases, claiming lives.

Last year, similar weather conditions caused the Nairobi River to burst its banks, wreaking havoc across slum areas. Makeshift houses built close to the river’s edge were flattened, and families were left homeless overnight. Some never lived to tell their stories.

Despite the known risks, many continue to reside along the flood-prone banks of the river. Their reasoning is simple: they have nowhere else to go.

In Mathare, a 53-year-old woman, known only as WKW for fear of eviction, shared her story. She lives in a modest two-room concrete structure that she built over 15 years ago.

“I know heavy rains can be deadly,” she said, her voice tinged with resignation. “But where do you expect me to go? This is where my children grew up. This is all I have. I’d rather die here than live on the streets.”

Residents like WKW often criticize the government’s calls for relocation, arguing that they are rarely followed by actionable plans or viable alternatives for resettlement. Many fear that vacating their homes would only leave them more vulnerable.

As Nairobi struggles through the early days of this flood season, weather experts are sounding the alarm that the worst may be yet to come. The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) has warned that rainfall across Kenya and the broader East African region could intensify in the coming weeks, mirroring or even surpassing the deluge witnessed in 2024.

According to ICPAC, moderate to heavy rainfall, ranging from 50 to 200 millimeters, is forecast for several regions, including coastal, northeastern, and western Kenya, as well as neighboring countries such as Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and parts of Ethiopia and Sudan. In particular, northeastern Kenya and regions in southern and northern Tanzania are expected to be among the hardest hit.

“The expected heavy rainfall over parts of northeastern Kenya and some regions in southern and northern Tanzania could trigger isolated flooding. Communities in low-lying areas should stay cautious,” ICPAC warned in a public advisory.

With no sign of the rains letting up and warnings from meteorologists growing more urgent, Nairobians are bracing themselves for a long, wet season. While some can count on insurance or savings to recover from damages, many others are left to confront each wave of flooding with nothing but hope, resilience, and the ever-looming fear of loss.

As the city battles another cycle of disaster, one thing remains clear—Nairobi’s vulnerability to flooding is not just a climate issue; it’s a crisis of infrastructure, urban planning, and socio-economic inequality.

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