Nairobi is in a unique club of capital cities located near the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. This elevated location makes the Kenyan capital among the 10 highest in the world. Nairobi's location near the high escarpment also makes the city's environs the source of numerous rivers and streams. Unlike most of the global cities located on the banks of big rivers and having landmark bridges, Nairobi has a maze of smaller rivers and streams, collectively referred to as the Nairobi River Basin.
Like day follows night, it floods whenever Nairobi receives moderate to heavy rainfall. A combination of factors such as the city’s geographical location and its poor drainage system are mostly to blame. On 12th May 2015, the city in the sun received unusually heavy precipitation and the results were disastrous. More than ten people were reported dead in different parts of the city and losses worth millions were incurred. The flooding affected most parts of Nairobi but I will focus on the areas that were arguably worst hit – the areas along the Ngong River valley – and attempt to explain how and why this was so.