Feature: Rains pour flood of misery to Nairobi residents

Living in Langata, about 10 km from the central business district of Kenya's capital Nairobi, Richard Otuoma leaves his house by 5.40 a.m. each day so that he can be sure of arriving in the city centre by 8 a.m..

This has been his routine for the past one-and-a-half weeks since El Nino rains started to pound East African nation's capital.

Initially, the university worker would leave his house at 6.30 a.m. and take about an hour to reach the city centre.

The heavy rains have disrupted the 37-year-old's routine, and that of millions of other Kenyans in the city hosting about four million people.

Life has become a little harder for residents as they have to contend with heavy traffic jams, high fares, road accidents and muddy and flooded roads.

"This is the time I should be driving my vehicle to work but I cannot because of the heavy traffic jams. I would rather board a matatu and spend two hours in the snarl-up than drive to work and take the same amount of time, and later struggle to find parking," he said on Wednesday.

When it rains, Otuoma spends up to 3 U.S. dollars on fare a day for the 10 km journey. The fare is half the amount on normal days.

As many other African cities, heavy rains ground Nairobi due to increased traffic, poor road drainage and the resultant rush.

It has been raining every morning and evening in the capital for over a week now, with the Meteorological Department noting the rains would go on until January 2016.

Nairobi residents are, therefore, preparing for tough times in the three months or so if it will rain according to the weatherman's prediction.

"I do not like these rains, perhaps they should be raining more upcountry where people have been waiting for them so that they can grow crops," said grocery store operator Grace Mutuku.

Mutuku normally buys her supplies from Gikomba on the outskirts of the city centre every day, but with the rains, especially when they come early morning, she cannot go to the market.

"The rains have flooded Gikomba interfering with fresh produce traders and others. Transport has also become a problem because one cannot navigate the market that has poor drainage system. Pushcart operators further double their charges from 4 dollars to about 10 dollars. It is just a struggle," she said.

Equally, her business in eastern Nairobi has been affected as she has to close her stall, with the rains also keeping most of her customers away.

The rains have similarly hit school-going children hard, a good number who commute to the learning institutions using public transport vehicles, school buses while others walk.

The children are suffering, particularly those who walk to school, as they have to endure the rains to reach class on time.

"I fear the most for my two children as it is raining now than at any other time. The other day it was heavily raining in the evening. I had to talk to their teacher to let them remain in school so that I can go and pick them myself," said Alexander Maweu, a father of four.

Maweu, whose children learn at a private primary school about 3 km from his home, said he would have to pay for their transport from next month.

"They cannot ride on a bicycle when it is raining as they always do. The risk of using the machines increases with the rains."

According to the Meteorological Department, "much of Kenya will experience highly enhanced rainfall between October to December that is likely to cause serious flooding in various parts." Endit