The National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (NWHSA) has called for a critical shift towards comprehensive water harvesting as torrential rains paralyse Nairobi.

Severe overnight flooding across Kenya's capital has left key infrastructure submerged, forcing motorists to spend the night stranded on impassable highways such as Mombasa Road and Kenyatta Avenue. At least 10 people have been confirmed dead, with residential estates like South C and Embakasi bearing the brunt of the disaster.

This recurring nightmare exposes a glaring vulnerability in Nairobi's urban planning. NWHSA CEO Eng. Julius Mugun stressed that while emergency rescues by the KDF and Red Cross are vital, they fail to address the root systemic failures exacerbating these climate-induced shocks.

Rethinking Urban Stormwater

The volume of stormwater generated during these heavy downpours far exceeds the capacity of the city’s compromised and outdated drainage systems. When this infrastructure is overwhelmed, the disruption cascades through the entire economic ecosystem of the metropolis.

Eng. Mugun advocates for a paradigm shift: transforming a destructive natural force into a sustainable asset. "We must fundamentally change our perception of stormwater from a nuisance to a valuable asset," Mugun argued.

• Upstream Storage: Building large-scale reservoirs to catch runoff before it breaches city limits.
• Household Harvesting: Implementing mandatory small-scale water pans and residential collection systems.
• Resilient Planning: A dual approach of aggressive harvesting and robust drainage desilting.

A Call for Political Will

The destruction has been catastrophic, with over 71 vehicles swept away and power supplies heavily disrupted following the collapse of a boundary wall at the South C Substation. As the Meteorological Department warns of continued relentless rainfall across multiple counties, the window for reactive measures is closing rapidly.

"Every cubic meter of water we harvest is a cubic meter that doesn't flow down to flood a home or submerge a major highway," noted the CEO.

The ultimate solution demands long-term financial investment and unwavering political commitment to climate-proof Kenya's economic nerve centre against an increasingly volatile environment.