{"id":57334,"date":"2026-03-08T03:15:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T07:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/heavy-rains-and-flooding-kills-at-least-23-in-nairobi\/08\/03\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T03:15:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T07:15:56","slug":"heavy-rains-and-flooding-kills-at-least-23-in-nairobi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/heavy-rains-and-flooding-kills-at-least-23-in-nairobi\/08\/03\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Heavy rains and flooding kills at least 23 in Nairobi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">At least 23 people have been killed in Nairobi after heavy rain overnight caused severe flooding in Kenya&#8217;s capital city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Police said about 30 people had been rescued but many others drowned after being swept into rivers &#8211; some have been electrocuted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kenya&#8217;s military has been deployed to help people trapped inside their cars as police described widespread damage to properties as well as road closures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Several flights bound for Nairobi Airport had to be cancelled or diverted to the coastal city of Mombasa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The torrential rains have led to significant flooding, unfortunately resulting in 23 fatalities so far, the destruction of property, road closures, and the displacement of residents,&#8221; police said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>The Kenya Meteorological Department warned of heavy rainfall in Nairobi and surrounding counties &#8211; with 30-70 mm of rain expected in the capital [EPA\/Shutterstock]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Earlier, security guard John Lomayan, 34, described seeing someone he recognised in the industrial neighbourhood of Grogan who was trapped beneath a car that had been washed away when the Nairobi River burst its banks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I saw him being carried by the water from up there,&#8221; he told Reuters news agency, gesturing up the road.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We didn&#8217;t know where he had gone. It is only now that we see him under the car.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Key roads in the capital city, including Mombasa Road, Uhuru Highway, Kirinyaga Road, and parts of the Westlands district, have been submerged underwater.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Stalled vehicles and fast-moving floodwaters created havoc, Reuters said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A Kenyan man is seen crossing flooded road using a makeshift raft during heavy rain in Nairobi\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Fqqes0b_89XtnJOgG6tEeg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/946308b5a0ac732e1171c810ad27c199\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>The storm left many stranded during the evening rush hour [EPA]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kenyan authorities advised residents to avoid flooded streets and drainage channels while emergency responders assisted stranded motorists and pedestrians.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Earlier, the Kenya Meteorological Department warned of prolonged heavy rainfall, cautioning about urban flooding, poor visibility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">River levels are expected to rise through to 9 March.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Nairobi, along with regions such as the Central Highlands, Lake Victoria Basin, and the coastal areas, remains under heightened alert for peak rainfall in the coming days, it added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Last year, hundreds of Kenyans were killed after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c72plp66g5no?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:heavy rains caused severe flooding and landslides across the country;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">heavy rains caused severe flooding and landslides across the country<\/a> and neighbouring Tanzania.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"295\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/X.EL2n7fcUDVmgCDCHEGmA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTI5NTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/c7a608b642136b2879dce57f6fb5d461\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[Getty Images\/BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Go to <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/bbcafrica.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:BBCAfrica.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>BBCAfrica.com<\/em><\/a><em> for more news from the African continent.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Follow us on Twitter <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BBCAfrica\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:@BBCAfrica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>@BBCAfrica<\/em><\/a><em>, on Facebook at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BBCnewsafrica\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:BBC Africa;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>BBC Africa<\/em><\/a><em> or on Instagram at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bbcafrica\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:bbcafrica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>bbcafrica<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">BBC Africa podcasts<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/heavy-rains-flooding-kills-least-122145668.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At least 23 people have been killed in Nairobi after heavy rain overnight caused severe flooding in Kenya&rsquo;s capital city. Police said<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/heavy-rains-and-flooding-kills-at-least-23-in-nairobi\/08\/03\/2026\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/8nf.Sm1856HoLzuHU38VZA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD02NzU7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/6275c92525a83d1bf26d46c0e1cd23c3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57334"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}