City residents recall night of terror as floods swallow Nairobi streets

Videos and photos flooded social media on Friday evening as Nairobi’s Central Business District was hit by heavy rains.

Clips showed cars being swept away by rushing waters, pedestrians struggling to keep their balance, and streets turning into rivers.

In high-end apartments and malls, basement parking areas were flooded, with some vehicles lifted by the force of the water.

The images captured the panic and fear gripping the city as commuters were trapped for hours.

For hundreds of residents, what should have been a routine trip home quickly became a night of terror.

Streets transformed into rushing currents, vehicles stalled in rising waters, and people were forced to find safety wherever they could.

Linet Mutua, a clothing store worker who lives in Kitengela, said she had just stepped outside to catch a matatu home when the flooding began.

“I thought it was just a normal downpour and that I would be home in no time. But the water rose so fast. Cars stopped, engines failed, and people froze, watching the water flow like a river. My family kept calling me, but there was nothing I could do. I was trapped and scared,” she said.

Mutua spent more than four hours stranded under a shop veranda, surrounded by commuters who were equally anxious. She described the helplessness of watching people struggle through the water, knowing there was no safe way home.

Livelihood swept away

John Kamau, a taxi driver who recently took a loan to buy his car, described the moment his livelihood was swept away.

“At first, I thought I could drive through, but the water was stronger than I expected. The car stalled and I had to jump out. I watched as my car, my livelihood and my family’s support, was carried away by the water. Everything I worked for vanished in seconds,” he said.

Nearby, boda boda rider Kevin Otieno faced a similarly harrowing ordeal and narrowly escaped being swept away. He said he had been pushing his motorcycle to higher ground when floodwaters dragged it away.

“I tried to hold it, but the current was too strong. I had to let go or I would have been swept away with the bike. That bike is how I earn a living. I don’t know how I will recover from this loss,” he said.

For Ann Khatimi, a commuter inside a matatu heading to Syokimau, the fear came as water began rising inside the vehicle.

“We had barely left the CBD for Mombasa Road when the water started reaching our feet. At first we thought it would pass, but it kept rising. The conductor shouted for everyone to get out. We stepped into water that was moving so fast we could barely keep our balance,” she recalled.

“Strangers held each other, forming a line as we moved slowly to safety. If someone slipped, the others pulled them up. I will never forget that fear,” Khatimi added.

Passengers and pedestrians across Nairobi shared similar experiences. Many were trapped on sidewalks, under shop verandas, or wading through fast-moving water in search of transport.

Some tried to push vehicles to safety, while others simply watched helplessly as streets turned into rivers.

Social media posts amplified the chaos, revealing the full scale of the flooding and commuters’ struggle.

By late Friday night, the rain eased and traffic gradually resumed, but the memory of being trapped lingered for many.

“You leave work expecting a one-hour journey home, and suddenly the streets are rivers and you are powerless,” Mutua said.

Many commuters recounted panic and despair as they held onto one another in rushing waters. Some formed human chains to help others cross knee-deep water, while others struggled to navigate flooded streets that had become dangerous obstacles.

For those who survived, the experience was more than a natural event — it became a stark reminder of life’s fragility and the power of shared human resilience.

“You never expect a normal commute to turn into a fight for safety. That night changed the way I see the city and the people around me,” Khatimi said. 

Costly repair 

At the muddy Grogon Road, along the Nairobi River, mechanics on Saturday were repairing vehicles damaged by Friday’s floods.

The road was crowded with damaged vehicles that had been submerged and pressed by debris. Most of the vehicles had damaged front and rear bumpers, lights, windows, mudguards and engines, while debris had filled some of the seats.

The destruction followed the Nairobi River, bursting its banks on Friday evening, causing spillover along the busy road that drivers often use to avoid traffic jams in the Fig Tree area of Ngara.

Among those waiting for their vehicles to be repaired was James Nderitu, a driver with Nakonns Sacco.

“I arrived with passengers near Globe Cinema Roundabout from Nyeri at around 8 pm and decided to use this road. Passengers started leaving when I got stuck in a traffic jam, and I remained alone in the matatu,” said Nderitu.

“I decided to wait for the jam to clear, but the floodwater kept rising. Water started getting into the vehicle, forcing me to jump out through the window. Had I not done that, I would be dead by now,” he added.

Nderitu said thanks to a metal which held the vehicle in place, it would’ve been swept away like others.

The driver said thieves took advantage of the situation to steal from stranded vehicles after the floods subsided, forcing him to stay and guard the matatu throughout the night.

“I have not gone home or slept. We lit tyres at night to keep warm until this morning,” he said.

David Munene, an online taxi driver, had brought his vehicle to a garage along Grogon Road for repairs before the disaster struck.

“I had brought my vehicle here for repairs. After the work was done in the evening, the rain started and intensified, forcing us to leave the vehicles and climb into an adjacent storey building as we watched cars, including public service vehicles, being swept away,” said Munene.

“After the floodwater subsided at around 1 am, we went towards Racecourse Road to push the vehicles back. I went home at about 4 am and have now returned to oversee the repairs. Normally, the repair would cost about Sh6,000, but now I will have to incur additional costs,” he concluded.