Residents in Nairobi and neighbouring counties reported feeling earth tremors on Thursday, November 5, after an earthquake struck near Lake Victoria in Tanzania.

Nairobi, Murang’a, Kiambu and Kajiado were among the areas where residents reported ground shaking following the seismic event, which was recorded shortly before 12:30 pm East African Time.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), an independent provider of real-time earthquake information, initially reported a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in the Lake Victoria region of Tanzania.

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Preliminary seismic data placed the epicentre approximately 17 kilometres east of Ushirombo, about 986 kilometres from Nairobi.

The centre subsequently issued an updated preliminary report indicating a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, with the epicentre approximately 14 kilometres east of Ushirombo.

The earthquake was reported at around 12:22 pm local time in Tanzania, with shaking also reported in parts of the wider East African region.

Preliminary alerts indicated that light to weak shaking may have been felt in areas including Kigali in Rwanda, Bujumbura in Burundi and Kampala in Uganda.

Kenyans Report Feeling Ground Shaking

The reports prompted reactions on social media, with several Kenyans saying they had felt the tremor in different parts of the country.

Some residents reported unusual ground movements in areas including Tassia and Pipeline in Embakasi, Kitengela, Athi River, Westgate and Kisii.

A number of those who shared their experiences said they were initially unsure whether the movement they felt was an earthquake.

However, the reports from individual locations had not been independently verified at the time of publication.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or property damage linked to the tremor.

Previous Tremors Reported in Kenya

The latest incident comes after a tremor was reported in Nairobi on May 7, 2025, when residents in Westlands, Parklands, Kangemi, Mlolongo and other areas said they had felt ground movements.

The reports emerged between approximately 10:30 am and 10:40 am.

Another tremor was reported along the Coast on April 28, 2025, with residents in parts of Mombasa and Kilifi experiencing unusual ground movements.

Authorities had not reported any casualties or damage linked to Thursday's tremor at the time of publication.