Overnight flash flooding in Kenya's capital city claimed at least 10 lives and caused major disruptions at East Africa's busiest airport. Rescue workers recovered bodies from floodwaters after the Nairobi River overflowed its banks, sweeping away cars and trapping victims.
Rescue teams recovered bodies from rushing floodwaters throughout Kenya’s capital on Saturday following deadly overnight flooding that claimed at least 10 lives and caused major disruptions at the region’s busiest airport, officials reported.
In Nairobi’s Grogan industrial area, 34-year-old security guard John Lomayan discovered the body of an elderly roadside egg vendor he knew, trapped under a vehicle that had been swept away when the Nairobi River overflowed.
“I saw him being carried by the water from up there,” Lomayan explained, pointing up the street. “We didn’t know where he had gone. It is only now that we see him under the car.”
A news reporter witnessed three victims being pulled from beneath vehicles. Law enforcement confirmed the death toll has reached 10 people.
Climate researchers indicate that rising global temperatures are intensifying both flooding and drought conditions throughout East Africa by concentrating precipitation into briefer, more powerful downpours. Research from the 2024 World Weather Attribution study determined that climate change has doubled the likelihood of catastrophic rainfall events in the area.
Kenya Airways reported that the heavy precipitation had caused flight cancellations and delays at Nairobi’s airport, with some aircraft being rerouted to Mombasa on the coast.
“So many cars, so much stuff, I don’t know. Everything was just (washed away). All of the water (came) … from that river,” said stunned local resident Cedric Mwanza, referring to the Nairobi River.
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