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Mosiria points finger at Nairobi residents over deadly Friday floods
10th March, 2026 09:01 AM
Nairobi County Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service, Geoffrey Mosiria, has attributed much of the damage caused by Friday, March 6, 2026, deadly floods to residents’ disregard for proper waste management and drainage systems.
Speaking to a local radio station on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Mosiria noted that while the intensity of the rain was unexpected, the flooding was exacerbated by human activity.
“The way the rain started, nobody expected that we would have such floods, but what I can say is that most of the problems are caused by us, the residents of Nairobi,” Mosiria said.
Causes of floods
He explained that improper construction practices and careless disposal of waste are major contributors to the city’s flooding problems.
“When we are constructing our houses, we ignore prioritising the drainage system and also how we manage our waste and disposal; everyone just does not care about their waste, they throw the waste into the drainage system,” he added.
The officer further highlighted the challenges he faced while working in the environment docket.
“Having worked for the environment docket, I noticed that people do not want to pay for the disposal of waste, they throw it anywhere. Also you will see someone in a matatu, after drinking water, they throw the bottle outside through the window,”Mosiria stated.
“Waste management has been a problem.”
Additionally, he noted that his reason for pointing to the residents is that people prefer taking shortcuts.
“The reason I’m saying the problem is the nairobians is that people want shortcuts,” he added.
Facing backlash
Mosiria also recounted previous incidents where he raised concerns about illegal constructions.
I faced a lot of backlash when I was working in the environment, when I used to tell people they should not construct on top of a river. There was a time I went to Westlands and asked someone why they were constructing on top of a river.
Floods in Nairobi
Mosiria’s sentiments come as, on Friday, March 6, 2026, the heavy downpour caused motorists to wade through waterlogged roads and cars partially submerged in floodwaters, highlighting the scale of disruption caused by the rains.
The flooding caused massive traffic jams in key areas within the Nairobi Metropolitan, disrupting the Friday evening commutes.
Apart from road closures, the Kenya Red Cross disclosed, the ongoing heavy rains have caused property damage, displacement, and distress among affected communities.
“Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in several parts of Nairobi and surrounding areas, leading to road closures, property damage, displacement and distress among affected communities. Affected areas include Pipeline & Embakasi (Kware Road cut off), Mukuru (Kwa Njenga, Reuben, Viwandani), Kibra, Mathare, Huruma, Baba Dogo, Bosnia, South B & South C, and Nairobi West,” the Kenya Red Cross statement reads.
“Lang’ata, Umoja 3, Chokaa, Njiru, Ruai, Utawala, Roysambu, Kahawa West, Githurai, Loresho and parts of Westlands. Major roads affected: Sections of CBD roads, Uhuru Highway, Mbagathi Way, Mombasa Road (South C–JKIA Exit–Kyumbi), Thika Superhighway (Githurai–Kahawa Sukari), Jogoo Road, Lunga Lunga Road, Enterprise Road and Lang’ata Road near T-Mall. Kenya Red Cross teams are conducting search and rescue operations in affected areas.”
