Geo Week 9: Mass Wasting Events

 Mass Wasting Events in Kenya

 Landslides:

    The Highland regions of Kenya are particularly prone to landslides due to high annual rainfall, roughly 1000mm to 1300mm with the longest periods of rainfall occurring between the months of April and May. The topography of the region also plays a key role in the abundance of landslides within the region; the Kenyan Highlands range in elevation from 1200m to 2700m with temperatures ranging from 15°C to 31°C.

Middle and Western Kenya are mountainous, commonly called the Kenya Highlands. It is home to Mount Kenya. The eastern side has a small part of Lake Victoria. Although the highlands are at   

    Nairobi is the capitol city of Kenya and also the largest city in Kenya with a population of 5.7 million. Despite its status, Nairobi is highly vulnerable to mass wasting events. The proposed causes for these events are: 

  • Increasing populations causing people to move into steeper areas.
  • Heavy rains brought about due to climate change.
  • Industrialization/Infrastructure weakening the land. 

     As recent as October 31st of 2025 heavy rainfall caused a massive landslide claimed the lives of fifty-one people.

    On March 15th of 2026 severe flooding in Nairobi caused the deaths of sixty-six people.

Nationwide Susceptibility Mapping of Landslides in Kenya Using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process Model 

Pictured Above is a map detailing Kenya's susceptibility to landslides. 

 

Sources: 

Clemente, Brandon. “Middle and Western Kenya Are Mountainous, Commonly Called the Kenya Highlands. It Is Home to Mount Kenya. the Eastern Side Has a ...: Kenya, Mount Kenya, Rift Valley.” Pinterest, 19 Apr. 2016, www.pinterest.com/pin/573012752569880598/.

“Climate.” Rasabi Safari Kenya, 12 June 2019, rasabisafari.com/climate/.

Davies, T C. “Landslide Research in Kenya.” Www.Sciencedirect.Com, www.researchgate.net/publication/351163114_httpswwwsciencedirectcomsciencearticleabspiiS1051200421000968. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.

Kinyeru, Elizabeth Tabitha Njeri, et al. “Why Do Landslides Occur in Kenya, and What Can Be Done to Mitigate Their Occurrences? - Natural Hazards.” SpringerLink, Springer Netherlands, 11 Feb. 2026, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-025-07938-1.

“Nairobi.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Mar. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi.

Winter, Joseph. “Kenya Floods Leave 66 Dead, as Heavy Rains Continue in Nairobi.” BBC News, BBC, 15 Mar. 2026, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz6e5eng03yo.

Zhou, Suhua, et al. “Nationwide Susceptibility Mapping of Landslides in Kenya Using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process Model.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 21 Dec. 2020, www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/12/535.


 

 

Comments

  1. anaMarch 24, 2026 at 12:12 PM

    Nice read!- what would be your mitigation efforts for this hazard?

    ReplyDelete

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