At least 23 people have died following overnight flash floods that swept through Nairobi, authorities confirmed on Saturday, as rescue teams continued searching for survivors and assessing widespread damage across the Kenyan capital.
The floods were triggered by intense rainfall late Friday that overwhelmed drainage systems, turning major roads into fast-moving rivers and submerging homes and businesses in several parts of the city.
Police said emergency responders worked through the night to rescue trapped residents, with at least 29 people pulled to safety. Search-and-rescue teams remained deployed across affected neighborhoods on Saturday.
Officials from the Kenya Red Cross described the scale of the destruction as severe.
“We are seeing devastation… A huge number of areas in the city were affected, but also counties all over the country,” said Red Cross spokesperson Munir Ahmed.
Reporters observed extensive damage across Nairobi, ranging from informal settlements to more affluent areas such as Parklands.
Floodwaters destroyed sections of roads, submerged buildings and disrupted daily life for thousands of residents.
The disaster also disrupted air travel. Kenya Airways confirmed that several flights scheduled to land in Nairobi were diverted to the coastal city of Mombasa due to the severe weather.
Beyond the capital, the Kenya Red Cross reported that hundreds of households in nearby counties were affected and large areas of farmland had been damaged.
Researchers have warned that extreme weather events in East Africa are becoming more frequent.
Several studies over the past two decades have documented increasingly severe cycles of heavy rainfall and prolonged drought across the region.
Just weeks before the flooding, authorities reported severe drought conditions in Mandera County, where thousands of livestock were killed due to lack of water and pasture.
The disaster has also sparked criticism of Nairobi’s leadership, particularly over the state of the city’s drainage systems.
Critics on social media accused Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja of failing to deliver on campaign promises to improve drainage and road infrastructure.
Opposition senator Edwin Sifuna called for a comprehensive review of the city’s drainage network, saying existing interventions were insufficient to prevent flooding.
Authorities say emergency teams will continue rescue operations while officials assess the full scale of the damage caued by the floods.
