Kenyans were on Tuesday night caught off guard after an earth tremor hit parts of the country.
Earthquake Monitor in a statement confirmed a seismic activity in or near Nairobi, Nairobi Area.
Earthquake Monitor said the country experienced a strong magnitude 4.6 earthquake that hit 87 km (54 mi) away from Nairobi at 8.32 pm.
They said the quake had a very shallow depth of 10 km (6 mi) and was felt widely in the area.
"The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicentre than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would," the statement read.
However, seconds after the tremor occurred, Kenyans took to social media to check if other people also felt it.
Some reported having moved out of their houses to check with the neighbours after they felt strange movement in their houses.
"Felt an earthquake/tremor in Nairobi! Anyone else?" An X user asked.
"What in the earthquake have I just felt omg?" An X user asked.
"Ofisi imeshake karibu tujikute nje," another one poses.
"Stuff in the house was moving including TV, doors and emitting funny sounds," one Kenyan observed.
"This always shocked me! The whole nation of Kenya ought to repent when they see such wonders."
"#earthquake, in Machakos have woken up from my couch thinking the apartments are going down."
According to the search results, the Nairobi area and the broader East African Rift Valley region have a history of experiencing relatively large but infrequent earthquakes.
The Kenya Rift Valley and the Kavirondo (Nyanza) Rift are the most seismically active areas in Kenya, with earthquakes typically ranging from local magnitudes (Ml) of 2.0 to 5.0.
However, historical records show that larger magnitude earthquakes of Ml ≥ 6.0 have occurred in the region, such as the 1928 Subukia earthquake (Ml 7.1) and its Ml 6.2 aftershock, as well as a Ml 6.2 earthquake in the Turkana region in 1913.
The Subukia earthquake in 1928 was associated with a 38 km-long surface rupture showing normal faulting with a small component of left-lateral motion.
It caused moderate damage, though less than expected given its magnitude, likely due to the sparse population and resilient local building styles.
More recently, the region has experienced smaller tremors, such as a Ml 4.4 earthquake near Mtito Andei, Makueni County in June 2024 that was felt in parts of Nairobi.
Overall, the seismic hazard in the Kenya Rift Valley is considered significant, with the potential for relatively large but infrequent earthquakes to occur in the future.