NAIROBI, Kenya (July 30, 2026) – Flooding in Nairobi has become a recurring urban challenge driven not only by heavy rainfall, but also systemic drivers such as the city’s topography and hydrology, volcanic (mollic nitisols) soils which have low permeability, unplanned development in flood prone areas, inadequate drainage, the loss of wetlands and green spaces, weak enforcement of land-use regulations, fragmented governance and weak institutional management in flood risk management and limited investment in climate resilience. These are the central findings of a new WRI issue brief, Flooding in Nairobi’s Informal Settlements: Advancing Equitable and Resilient Solutions, released today. 

The issue brief highlights the growing severity of flood impacts in Nairobi. In 2024, nearly 21,000 families were displaced, more than 90 kilometers of roads and nine bridges were damaged, and more than 147,000 cases of waterborne disease were reported. In March 2026, flooding claimed 37 lives in less than three weeks. Together, these events underscore the need for long-term systemic solutions rather than emergency response alone.

Drawing on flood modelling and mapping alongside exploratory surveys and discussions with 98 households in Kibera, Mukuru Viwandani and Mathare, the issue brief examines factors driving flood risk in Nairobi city — with a special focus on informal settlements and the associated gender, social, economic, environmental, physical and psychological impacts, using the 2024 floods as the case study. 

Residents reported losing livelihoods and personal belongings while identifying gaps in early warning systems, preparedness and their involvement in flood risk management. The findings also show that women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities often face the greatest impacts because they encounter additional barriers to accessing information, evacuation support and recovery assistance. These impacts demonstrate that flooding is not only an environmental challenge, but also a housing, public health and urban resilience challenge requiring coordinated action across planning, infrastructure and service delivery. 

To advance a coordinated approach to climate risk response, including flooding, the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC) and WRI also launched the Nairobi Rivers Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Strategic Framework, a toolkit for providing practical guidance, tools and resources to design, invest, implement and scale NbS projects, and mainstreaming these in city policies, plans and strategies. The framework analyzes four climate risks in Nairobi — flooding, urban heat, biodiversity loss and air pollution. It also identifies priority interventions that reduce these climate risks while supporting biodiversity restoration, public health, gender equity and social inclusion and quality of life.   

“Nairobi’s rivers cannot be restored through isolated projects or short-term interventions. Through this Framework, the Commission and its partners now have a shared, evidence-based roadmap to coordinate action across the river basin, direct investment to priority areas and track results. Our ambition is to restore river corridors that reduce flood risk, improve public health, support livelihoods and become safe, productive assets for the people of Nairobi,” said Hon. Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, Chairperson of the Nairobi Rivers Commission. 

During the launch, WRI signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Kenya Forestry Research Institute to strengthen collaboration on climate action, data and research, knowledge transfer, stakeholder engagement, resource mobilization, city and landscape restoration, nature-based solutions, capacity building and livelihoods and restoration finance.  

“The evidence from Nairobi’s floods is clear: climate resilience cannot be separated from housing and basic services. Safer communities require risk-informed planning, reliable drainage and sanitation, healthy rivers and wetlands and residents who are partners in designing and stewarding solutions. This launch connects evidence, public leadership, local knowledge and finance so Nairobi can move from repeated emergency response to investable action that protects both people and nature,” said Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director, Africa and Global Partnerships at WRI. 

Together, the issue brief, the NbS Strategic Framework and the formalized partnerships provide the evidence, practical guidance and collaboration needed to support Nairobi to transition from reacting to floods to coordinated planning for long-term disaster risk management and resilience. 

About the Nairobi Rivers Commission  

The Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC) is a presidential initiative under the Office of the Deputy President aimed at rehabilitating, protecting and managing river ecosystems, serving as a multi-agency coordinator to restore the city's waterways. The Commission works across five counties — Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Makueni — to enforce environmental regulations, coordinate stakeholders and implement restoration programs. 

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floods nature-based solutions Climate Resilience urban water resilience housing Urban Development adaptation