Mother, her two children among six killed as floods wreak havoc in Nairobi

Six people have died overnight in Nairobi following heavy rains. Three of them—a mother and her two children—were killed when a boulder crushed their house in Mathare.

The boulder, in the Mathare 4A informal settlement, turned deadly as heavy overnight rains pounded.

A nearby river overflowed, weakening the structure and causing the rock to collapse onto the house opposite, killing the three as they slept, crushing them along with their home.

Fredrick Odhiambo, a neighbour, said: “It was around 7:30 p.m. when the rain started, then we heard a big bang.”

The woman had only recently moved to the area from Mombasa. Her husband, who had traveled, returned in the morning to the tragic news.

Shem Odongo, another neighbour, stated: “We spent the whole night removing the rocks until we reached them. The mother had no head.”

Local authorities have begun evicting other residents whose homes are at risk of flooding or being crushed by nearby rocks.

Mathare resident Irene Nyabega said: “This is not the first time people have died from falling rocks during the rainy season. Even last year in April, people died. Tonight, we don’t know where we’ll sleep.”

The situation is equally dire in Mukuru Kwa Reuben, where one person died after being swept away by floods. More than 500 residents have been displaced by the sudden flooding, left with nowhere to run.

Area resident Godfrey Juma said: “We have received no help from the government. No food, no shelter—it was all washed away.”

Esther Meton added: “I had to explain to my child that everything is gone, swept away by the water.”

Residents are criticizing the Nairobi County Government for ignoring the recurring flood disasters in the area—a year after making several promises following deadly floods that caused massive destruction.

“The county government came and promised to dig proper drainage. They started but abandoned the work—and haven’t come back to this day,” said James Mwangi Njoroge.

A boda boda passenger was swept away by flood waters in Mukuru Kwa Reuben, with the rider managing to escape.

Two more bodies were recovered from different parts of Nairobi after being swept away by floods. One person was found dead after drowning in the Ngong River at Likoni Bridge in South B. The second body was retrieved from floodwaters along Jogoo Road.

Police are urging Kenyans to exercise extreme caution during this long rains season.