How catastrophic floods in Kenya impact communities and animals

In Mathare, one of the largest informal settlements in Nairobi, the picture is bleak. Homes, mostly tin shacks, are marooned in water; others have been completely swept away by the raging floods, leaving families in absolute destitution. Stranded residents wade through waist deep waters to safer ground, delicately balancing their valuables on their head.

Rain can both be a blessing and a curse to communities. For some herders and farmers, they have brought respite from ongoing droughts. But in and around Nairobi, they have led to death, loss of livelihoods, and destruction of property.

Struggling to rebuild

Hillary Mrando, a farmer and resident of Mathare stands next to a heap of clothes and a soaked mattress—the only belongings he managed to salvage from his home—piled on a rubble of rock debris on the banks of the Mathare River.

‘The floods surprised us in the dark of the night and we just made it out of the house in time,’ Hillary says. ‘My home and everything I own has been swept away by the river. Our house was over there.’ He points to a broken slab—the only remnant left of his home.

The rains have subsided, but there is the reality of rebuilding in the aftermath of the catastrophic floods. Hillary, a father of six, closely monitors the state of an unassuming structure built on wooden stilts—kennels for his animals. A pair of German Shepherd dogs bark to announce the arrival of our partner, the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA), who have come to provide immediate veterinary care needs, build community resilience, and curb the spread of diseases that could potentially be transmitted to humans.

‘All my pigs were washed away in the floods,’ Hillary says. ‘I also lost one special female South African boerbell. The government is demolishing any structure near riverbanks this week, so I must move my animals, kennels, and family to my rural home in Kisumu [Western Kenya]. It’s an expensive move, so I’m seeking support from well-wishers.’

For Hillary, his four-legged colleagues are not just companion animals. Farming pigs and other animals is essential to his income. KSPCA provided him with five bags of animal feed, immediate veterinary care, and much needed respite amidst his heavy losses. During the month of May alone, KSPCA also rescued 46 dogs, 72 puppies, and 57 cats and kittens from flood-hit suburbs of Nairobi.

Despite tragedy, rain brings relief to livestock herding communities

Whilst the rains have been tragic to residents of Nairobi, 200 kilometres (120 miles) south of the capital, they have been a source of joy amongst livestock herding communities of Kajiado County, who’ve borne the brunt of prolonged droughts. In the Amboseli ecosystem, the landscape has sponged up every drop of rain, transforming itself into a glistening and vibrant canvas of green. For the Maasai in Illaingarunyoni Conservancy, the rains signal the season of abundance and the most wonderful time of the year for the community and wildlife alike.

‘We are in paradise—just look at the fresh grass,’ says an elated Chief Lupembe, a member of the Illaingarunyoni Conservancy committee. ‘There is enough for our cattle, enough for the elephants, and plenty of milk for our children.’ In the distance, two elephants soak in a mud bath in their newly rejuvenated habitat. Rainwater storage tanks at the David Rio Community Ranger Base are full of freshwater, giving the rangers a morale boost to safeguard one of the last wildlife corridors out of Amboseli National Park and give wildlife ample Room to Roam.