This archive report was first published on 10 May 2021.
On a rainy Monday, May 10, 2021, a Nairobi driver suffered significant losses after his car landed in a ditch at Nyayo Roundabout due to heavy flooding in the city.
Photos from Kenyans.co.ke showed the car headfirst in the ditch, which was dug across the road on Uhuru Highway. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) had previously closed off the section due to the construction of the Nairobi Expressway.
The heavy flooding had made it difficult for the driver to notice the ditch, which was one of several impassable roads across the city.
Motorists using Uhuru Highway and Mombasa Road have had to contend with traffic congestion and reduced lanes due to the construction of the Expressway, which has worsened the situation caused by the ongoing heavy rains.
The construction of the Nairobi Expressway has aggravated an average rainfall into floods due to the disruption of the waterways and drainage systems along the road.
At least 300 families have been left homeless since the rains began around mid-March.
