Climate News

Nairobi floods: Kenya's death toll climbs past 60 as rivers burst through the capital

Overnight flash floods struck Nairobi on 7 March, turning major roads into rivers and sweeping away cars. Kenya's The Star reported on 9 March that the death toll had reached 28, with many still missing. President William Ruto ordered a multi-agency emergency team working with the Kenya Defence Forces, and the government said it would cover hospital bills for the injured in public facilities. Flooded routes included Uhuru Highway, Mombasa Road and Thika Superhighway, and the worst-hit areas included Mukuru, Kibra and Mathare.

Vatican News reported on 11 March that at least 45 people had died across Kenya, 23 of them in Nairobi on the Saturday alone. Kenya Airways suspended flights to Nairobi, diverting some to Mombasa. Reuters, in a report carried by Tanzania's The Citizen, later said police put the national toll at 62.

"The teams are out there again to continue searching for possible survivors, but we expect to find more bodies." — George Seda, Nairobi police chief, via The Star

How each outlet framed it

• The Star — local detail: Red Cross rescues on Kirinyaga Road, more than 4,000 county workers clearing drains and a damaged water main.
• Vatican News — the human cost and the causes: critics blamed poor drainage and uncontrolled building, and experts also pointed to climate change.
• The Citizen — the regional view: the flooded Grogan area of downtown Nairobi and disrupted flights at East Africa's biggest airport.

Where the numbers differ: police counted 2,224 people displaced, while the government estimated more than 50,000 were homeless, and Vatican News said local reports suggested the police figure was much too low.