This archive report was first published on 2 December 2019.
Heavy rainfall in Nairobi has left residents reeling as the city's drainage system failed to cope with the deluge, causing widespread flooding in residential areas, hospitals, and roads.
According to reports, several residential houses, hospitals, and roads in the city were submerged in water following the heavy rains experienced in the last several days.
On Saturday night, the situation worsened, with pictures of the flooding shared online.
Despite the Meteorological Department's warning of above-normal rainfall in several parts of the country, Nairobi's drainage system proved woefully inadequate, leaving residents and hospital staff to deal with the aftermath.
Aga Khan Hospital in Parklands and MP Shah Hospital were among the worst-hit, with the former forced to halt services and activate its emergency protocol.
"We have activated our emergency response protocols to ensure the safety of all patients, staff, and visitors and see to it that there is minimal disruption of operations. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this extraordinary and unexpected act," the hospital said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko assured that normalcy had been restored at the hospital, with his disaster response team responding to emergency cases.
However, the weather outlook for the month of December indicates that most parts of the country are likely to experience above-average rainfall, with episodes of heavy rain expected to continue in several areas.
