In the bustling cityscape of Nairobi, Kenya, the informal settlement of Mathare bears the scars of a natural disaster on a colossal scale. The March-to-May rainy season of 2024 brought torrential downpours that devastated communities along the Mathare River, claiming lives and property.

The storm, amplified by the El Niño weather phenomenon, swept through Nairobi on April 24, 2024, leaving Mathare, one of Kenya’s largest and most densely populated slums, in ruins. A month later, humanitarian organization Save the Children reported that more than 7,000 people had been displaced in Mathare alone.

When Dialogue Earth visited the area in October 2024, residents were still grappling with the aftermath of destruction that had drawn international attention.

The Devastation: A Mother’s Tale

Doreen Achieng, a mother of four, recounted her harrowing experience. From her new, one-room house made of corrugated sheets, she remembered how water seeped into her previous home overnight. Used to occasional flooding, she mopped it up. But that night, the water kept rising – to about three meters. “We were stuck in the water, but the men came to our rescue,” Achieng explained.

Once her children were safe, Achieng realized everything she owned had been swept away. Her old makeshift house, perched precariously on the riverbank, was lost. At least 15 of her neighbors had been killed. Her livelihood as a food vendor was also swept away, leaving her and her family in dire financial straits.

Informal Settlements: The Hardest Hit

The March-to-May floods in Kenya resulted in 294 fatalities, according to a 2024 report by the Kenya Red Cross. The floods displaced approximately 55,000 households, killed 11,000 heads of livestock, and damaged 65,000 acres of cropland. Nairobi county was hit the hardest, with informal settlements like Mathare, Kibera, and Mukuru bearing the brunt of the damage. Edward Okoth, one of the flood victims, described the temporary shelter in a displacement camp as a place where “life was very difficult,” recalling, “The food was not enough for all of us … we were literally fighting for food.”

El Niño, a climate pattern characterized by warm surface water in the east-central tropical Pacific Ocean, significantly impacts rainfall patterns globally. It is part of a broader phenomenon called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). El Niño events do not occur regularly but often appear every two to seven years. The cooler phase, known as La Niña, also affects global weather patterns and rainfall distribution.

The Vulnerability of Informal Settlements

Informal settlements like Mathare are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters due to high-density housing and poor drainage. Mud structures and shanties close to water bodies make them prone to severe damage. In 2022, Kenya experienced prolonged droughts, leading to food insecurity and economic hardship. Periods of intense rainfall followed in 2023 and 2024, exacerbating the challenges faced by these communities.

Sharon Dimanche, chief of mission for the International Organization for Migration in Kenya, highlighted the rising migration and displacement in the Horn of Africa due to droughts, floods, and conflicts. She stated, “Climate change is becoming a big challenge, leading to massive displacement of people,” noting that the number of displaced people in the East and Horn of Africa stood at about 18.4 million in May 2024, rising to more than 20 million by September 2024.

Dimanche emphasized the importance of international cooperation to protect those displaced by climate crises. The International Organization for Migration is working with the Kenyan government and other partners to provide support to the affected populations.

Impact on Women and Children

Women and children were disproportionately affected by the floods. A report by UNICEF stated that the risks were particularly severe for breast-feeding mothers, pregnant women, and infants.

The most of the risks existed prior to the floods, and the emergency exacerbated the underlying vulnerabilities (Unicef).

Save the Children’s report in June 2024 highlighted that 31% of children in affected Nairobi sub-counties suffered from neglect, and 29% were not attending school. As part of its response, Save the Children provided mental health support and menstrual health supplies for 533 children affected by floods in Nairobi, Garissa, Wajir, and Turkana.

Irene Wali, a child protection specialist at Save The Children, noted the psychological impact on children, saying, “You can imagine the kind of negative experiences the children had watching their houses and household items being swept away and being left with nothing. Then having to spend nights – cold nights – without any shelter.” She added that child labor in those communities also grew as families tried to survive, and most children did not go back to school for the final term.

Demolitions: Piling on the Agony

Before residents could recover, the government ordered those living near rivers and other flood-prone areas to relocate. Those who stayed were forcibly removed, and many homes were bulldozed.

Residents like Okoth expressed their despair. “We were again left stranded with nowhere else to go,” he said. “The structures were demolished and we were warned not to rebuild along the river.”

In November 2024, a high court decision ordered the national government to compensate residents of Mathare, Gwa Kairu, Mukuru Kwa Ruben, and Kiamaiko for their forced eviction and the demolition of their homes. The bulldozers also destroyed sanitation facilities, introducing sanitation woes such as open defecation.

Transforming Tragedy into Opportunity

Despite the demolitions, residents have shown resilience by transforming riverbanks into flourishing vegetable gardens. These gardens provide essential nourishment and income, turning a tragedy into an opportunity for economic recovery.

Government Initiatives and Long-Term Support

In response to the crisis, the Kenyan government launched the ClimateWorX initiative, which focuses on rehabilitating urban river ecosystems while creating job opportunities for young Kenyans. The initiative involves removing waste, rehabilitating degraded riverbanks, and planting trees along waterways. The workforce will rise from 20,000 to 50,000 to provide more jobs.

The Need for Sustainable Solutions

Dialogue Earth consulted Easter Okech, executive director and programs coordinator for the Kenya Female Advisory Organization. Okech blamed the government for being unprepared for such calamities. “There is supposed to be a budgetary allocation and contingency plans, such as emergency shelters and other things, but instead they are constantly caught off-guard,” she said.

The Path Forward

The scars of this flood will never fully fade, but many in Mathare believe that with continued support, education, and improved infrastructure, they can emerge stronger and better prepared for future challenges. Through resilience and community support, Mathare’s residents are determined to rebuild and thrive.