How Mathare River demolitions reduced risks after 2024 deadly floods
National
By
Jacinta Mutura
| Mar 13, 2026
Women wash clothes at Mathare River bank on March 11, 2026. The recent floods did not affect residents like in 2024. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]
Susan Anyango woke to the sound of water forcing its way through the door.
Outside, rain had been pounding the corrugated iron roofs of Mathare slums for hours.
Inside her small riverside house, the floor was already wet when more muddy water began rushing in. Residents in the settlement scrambled to save their lives; mothers clutched their children while fathers tried to protect their families.
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Anyango, 38, gathered her five children close as the overflowing Mathare River pushed through the narrow settlement, carrying away belongings and entire homes. Within minutes, Anyango’s husband was gone, swept away by the floods.
The floods that struck Nairobi during the March–May 2024 rainy season turned communities along the Mathare River into disaster zones.
At least 17 people died in the settlement as hundreds of homes were destroyed when the river burst its banks after days of relentless rainfall.
Anyango survived with her children, but the loss of her husband left her raising five children alone in one of Nairobi’s most flood-prone areas.
“I saw people on their rooftops calling us. They rescued the children, then I was rescued. I still don’t understand how my husband did not make it out. It was terrifying. I thought we would all die that night,” she said.
Peninah Nyateng, 30, a mother of five, was also affected and lost all her belongings.
A month after the disaster, authorities moved in with bulldozers. All homes built within 30 metres of the riverside were demolished to create a buffer zone, intended to prevent future tragedies.
The exercise displaced many families and sparked anger among residents, who said they had nowhere else to go.
However, the demolitions changed the landscape along the Mathare River. Where rows of tightly built houses once stood is now open ground, separating the river from the nearest homes.
“Things were very bad near the river. I lost everything I had. Although flooding is still a problem in Mathare, at least no one has been killed recently because we were moved from the riverside,” said Nyateng.
When heavy rains pounded Nairobi last Friday, the Mathare River swelled again, and parts of the settlement flooded. But no deaths were reported.
Residents said that before the demolitions, houses stood so close to the river that floodwaters could sweep through entire rows within minutes. The new buffer zone has slowed the spread of water and reduced immediate danger for families.
“We were used to water flooding into our houses. We would mop up and move on, but that day was different. The water kept rising, and the river swept houses so quickly,” recalled Wendy Ochieng, 23.
For Ochieng, it was a matter of life and death. She looked after her younger siblings and rescued all of them from the rising water.
“Since then, life has never been the same. I have to provide for my siblings because our parents separated, and we were left alone,” she said.
The Kenya Red Cross reported that during the March–May 2024 rainfall, 294 people were killed nationwide, with approximately 55,000 households displaced. Nairobi was the worst affected, with informal settlements such as Mathare, Kibera and Mukuru bearing the brunt.
Sophia Akinyi, a community champion and 2024 flood survivor, said women and children were disproportionately affected.
“There were a lot of cases of domestic violence and neglect. Fathers left their families, children who were stranded after the floods and hosted by other people ended up being defiled,” said Akinyi. Akinyi added that many marriages were broken, some families never recovered, and some children never returned to school.
She added that children continue to suffer trauma from the near-death experience. “Every time there is heavy rain, my children ask if the water will carry us away. Walking along the river brings back memories,” she said.