Nairobi: Kasarani Residents Successfully Rescue Passengers Trapped In Matatu Swept Away By Floods

• Heavy rains in Nairobi have left a trail of destruction as Kenyans woke up to various areas in the city flooded
• A video went viral on TikTok of a matatu and a lorry getting swept by floods as passengers screamed for help
• Luckily, the passengers were later saved by residents who moved in to pull the passengers trapped in the 14-seater matatu

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi - Kenyan lives have in the last two weeks, been upended by heavy rains that have wreaked havoc.

Nairobi has been the epicentre of this destruction, with floods marooning residential areas and claiming lives.

On Tuesday, April 23, a video of passengers in a matatu wailing as their vehicle nearly crashed with a lorry while battling the Nairobi floods went viral.

In the short clip, the 14-seater matatu is seen trailing a white lorry as it steadily drives through a flooded path.

After a short while, the lorry cannot overcome the running water's strong currents, toppling it in the middle of the road.

The accident immediately had a ripple effect as the 14-seater matatu followed suit, turning over as passengers screamed for help.

A visibly shaken matatu tout in his maroon uniform is captured diving into the water in an attempt to preserve his life.

Kasarani matatu accident victims rescued

Another video footage of selfless Kenyans taking part in the rescue operation has since surfaced online.

The matatu moved a short distance and wholly overturned, but its engine could still be heard running as the locals helped the occupants out.

In what looked like a conveyor belt, the young heroes helped carry the passengers to safety as they continuously warned them against jumping into the raging waters.

Oblivious of the dangers, the young men pulled the passengers out one by one, stopping to convince others to get out of the vehicle.

How Githurai tenants were affected by heavy floods

In related news, a video of some Githurai residents sleeping on their roofs went viral on social media, with netizens pitying them.

The video showed a man draped in a Maasai shuka on one of the mabati houses in the wee hours of the mourning.

Netizens sympathised with them in the clip's comment section.