Nairobi's South C residents count losses after downpour

What you need to know:

In South C estate, dozens of houses were partially submerged in water, displacing families and damaging household property.
On Friday, the residents blamed the ongoing construction of the Southern Bypass road and poor drainage for the flooding.
In the past few weeks, Nairobians have experienced unusually high temperatures, and the Thursday rains may have caught residents by surprise.

A heavy downpour in Nairobi on Thursday night left residents of Nairobi's South C section counting losses after floodwaters marooned houses and rendered roads impassable.

Dozens of houses in the area were partially submerged in water, displacing families and damaging household property.

On Friday morning, residents had to wade knee-deep through the roads to find their way out of the area. Others, including schoolchildren, were stranded in their homes.

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CAUGHT BY SURPRISE

In the past few weeks, Nairobians have experienced unusually high temperatures, and the Thursday rains may have caught residents by surprise.

(READ: Harsh weather sparks hot jokes)

The downpour lasted about three hours, but was enough to cause heavy flooding, restricting the movement of people and vehicles.

On Friday, South C residents blamed the ongoing construction of the Southern Bypass road and poor drainage for the flooding.

The residents criticised a Chinese firm doing the work for blocking drainage in the area.

They threatened to sue the company and the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) for compensation after more than 50 houses were flooded and property destroyed.

"We will not sit here and watch the road construction cause havoc to our lives; this is unacceptable and we are going to protest until this issue is resolved by relevant government agencies," said Peter Ouma, a resident and the chairman of a residents' association in South C.