A moderate earth tremor was felt in Nairobi and neighbouring counties on Thursday, November 5, following an earthquake recorded in the Lake Victoria region.
Nairobi, Murang’a, Kiambu and Kajiado were among the areas where residents reported experiencing the ground movements.
According to an alert issued by seismic experts, the tremor was recorded at approximately 12:27pm East African Time.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), an independent organisation that provides real-time earthquake information, initially reported a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Tanzania’s Lake Victoria region, which sent tremors across the border into Kenya.
Seismic data published by the centre placed the earthquake's epicentre 17 kilometres east of Ushirombo, approximately 986 kilometres from Nairobi.
EMSC subsequently revised its preliminary assessment, reporting a magnitude 5.2 earthquake whose epicentre was located about 14 kilometres east of Ushirombo.
The earthquake was recorded at approximately 12:22pm local time in Tanzania. Meanwhile, other preliminary reports indicated that light to weak shaking was experienced in neighbouring countries, including Kigali in Rwanda, Bujumbura in Burundi and Kampala in Uganda.
The incident triggered widespread reactions on social media, with several Kenyans sharing accounts of feeling the tremor in different parts of the country.
Although the reports had not been independently verified, some residents who said they experienced the shaking identified Tassia, Pipeline in Embakasi, Kitengela, Athi River, Westgate and Kisii as among the affected areas.
Some residents also described being initially unsure whether the ground was actually moving, with others saying they thought they were imagining the unusual sensation.
At the time of publication, there were no reports of injuries or property damage linked to the tremor.
Previous Earth Tremors Reported in Kenya
The latest incident comes after a similar occurrence was reported in Nairobi on May 7, 2025, when residents in Westlands, Parklands, Kangemi, Mlolongo and other parts of the city reported feeling ground movements.
The tremors were experienced between 10:30am and 10:40am, prompting concerns among residents who took to social media to share their experiences.
That Nairobi incident came less than two weeks after another earth tremor was reported along the Kenyan Coast on April 28, 2025.
Residents in parts of Mombasa and Kilifi also reported unusual ground movements during the incident.
