KIAMBU, Kenya — Residents in Nairobi and neighbouring counties reported feeling an earth tremor on Thursday, November 5, after an earthquake struck Tanzania’s Lake Victoria region.
The tremors were reported in Nairobi, Murang’a, Kiambu and Kajiado at approximately 12:27pm East African Time, according to an alert issued by Armistice Security Consult International (ASCI).
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), which monitors and provides real-time earthquake information, initially reported a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in the Lake Victoria region of north-western Tanzania.
The earthquake occurred at approximately 12:22pm, with its initial epicentre estimate placing it about 17 kilometres east of Ushirombo, roughly 986 kilometres from Nairobi.
However, seismic estimates were subsequently revised as further data became available. EMSC’s latest available listing recorded the earthquake at magnitude 5.1, approximately 21 kilometres east-northeast of Ushirombo, at a depth of 10 kilometres.
The difference between the initial and updated readings reflects the preliminary nature of earthquake measurements, which can change as seismic agencies analyse additional information.
Residents report shaking in several areas
The incident triggered reactions on social media, with Kenyans sharing accounts of feeling the ground move in different parts of the country.
Some residents mentioned Tassia and Pipeline in Embakasi, Kitengela, Athi River, Westgate and Kisii, with several saying they initially struggled to establish whether the movement was real.
Preliminary reports also indicated that light to weak shaking was felt in neighbouring countries, including Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, with locations such as Kigali, Bujumbura and Kampala mentioned.
EMSC’s earthquake listing recorded reports from people who felt the earthquake, although individual accounts of shaking in the different locations do not independently establish the precise intensity experienced in each area.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage in connection with the tremor at the time of publication.
Nairobi has experienced similar tremors
Thursday’s incident comes after previous reports of earth tremors in Kenya, including an earthquake in northern Tanzania that was felt in parts of Nairobi in May 2025.
On May 7, 2025, residents in Westlands, Parklands, Kangemi, Mlolongo and other areas reported ground movements between approximately 10:30am and 10:40am.
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The Kenya Meteorological Department linked that incident to a magnitude 4.5 earthquake recorded near Longido in Tanzania’s Arusha region, at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres.
Less than two weeks earlier, on April 27, 2025, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck near Kenya’s Coast, with residents in parts of Mombasa and Kilifi reporting shaking.
The earthquake was recorded in the Indian Ocean, approximately 27 kilometres northeast of Kilifi, with its effects reported in several coastal communities.
Thursday’s earthquake is another reminder of the seismic activity experienced in East Africa, where earthquakes originating in one country can sometimes be felt across national borders.
