Communities around Lake Naivasha in Kenya are facing one of the worst flooding emergencies in recent memory as rising water levels force residents to flee their homes and abandon businesses.
Tour boats that once ferried tourists along the world-famous Rift Valley lake are now being used to evacuate families from submerged neighbourhoods in Kihoto, Nakuru County.
“This hasn’t happened like this before,” said resident Rose Alero, who has lived through several previous flooding seasons but says the damage this year is unprecedented.
Local officials report that the lake has surged up to 1.5 kilometres inland, swallowing houses, churches, police stations and farmland. Inside homes, water has risen waist-deep, sewer systems have collapsed and residents, including children and the elderly, are battling sickness.
“People are suffering… people are stuck and have nowhere to go,” said Alero, a 51-year-old grandmother, adding that many families have lost everything.
Nakuru County disaster management head Joyce Cheche estimates that at least 7,000 people have been displaced, with children forced out of school on makeshift rafts as water levels rapidly advanced.
The flooding has also disrupted wildlife habitats and threatens major sectors such as tourism and Naivasha’s flower industry, a key source of foreign exchange. Some workers have refused to report for duty over fears of disease outbreaks like cholera and potential wildlife attacks, particularly from hippos.
“We didn’t see it coming,” Cheche admitted, noting that the county has provided transportation and emergency support but cannot offer financial compensation at this stage.
Scientists and officials are divided over what is driving the dramatic rise in water levels. Multiple studies point to increased rainfall linked to climate change, while Kenyan geologist John Lagat argues that tectonic changes within the Rift Valley remain the primary cause.
Lagat explains that the lakes lie along a major geological fault, and shifting plates have progressively sealed natural underground drainage channels, trapping water. He adds that growing populations and land degradation have also worsened the crisis.
Alero and her neighbours now fear the next rainy season, unsure whether there is more devastation ahead.
“We are very worried. We can’t tell what will happen,” she said, standing outside her flooded home as the water continues advancing an estimated one metre every day.
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