Tremors felt in Nairobi linked to Tanzanian earthquake, Kenya Met confirms
Residents in several parts of Nairobi felt tremors on the morning of Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in what has now been confirmed as a spillover effect of an earthquake that occurred in northern Tanzania.
In a statement, the Kenya Meteorological Department attributed the mild tremors to seismic waves generated by the quake.
“Tremors felt in Nairobi this (Wednesday) morning were due to a regional earthquake. The tremors were caused by shock waves from this earthquake,” the department stated.
The tremors were experienced between 10:30 am and 10:40 am, with multiple reports coming from areas across Nairobi County.
According to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred near the Kenya-Tanzania border, specifically north of Lake Eyasi and west of Arusha.
Tremors were also reported in parts of Tanzania, including Longido, Arusha, Mto wa Mbu and Namanga.
In Kenya, residents in Nairobi, Magadi, and Kajiado confirmed feeling the ground shake briefly. The quake’s coordinates were marked at latitude 2.5739° South and longitude 35.9829° East.
Magnitude
USGS recorded the earthquake at a magnitude of 4.5 and at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres. Such shallow quakes are often felt more intensely on the surface, though the shaking in this case was described as weak.
Community-based reports submitted to USGS indicated a maximum intensity of III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, which translates to light shaking with no damage.
A total of six individual reports were submitted, covering four different regions.
Cause
The earthquake was linked to tectonic activity within the East African Rift System, where the earth’s crust is slowly pulling apart. The USGS noted that such seismic activity is common in this region due to the rifting process.
“It is the only rift system in the world that is active on a continent-wide scale,” USGS stated.
The rift extends from the Indian Ocean through Kenya and into central Africa, including parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Botswana. This geological process continues to shape the landscape through periodic volcanic activity and earthquakes.
History
The Kenya Rift region has a known history of seismic activity, including a major 6.9 magnitude earthquake in 1928. However, in recent years, most events have been of lower intensity.
USGS explained that ongoing volcanism and faulting across the Victoria-Somalia plate boundary contribute to the small, frequent tremors experienced in Kenya and northern Tanzania.
Authorities have urged the public to remain calm and rely on verified information from official sources in the event of further seismic activity.
