Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Kenya
Kenya has catalogued 14 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 128th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.7.
Kenya ranks 128th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 1 M4+ events a year alongside 2 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 2 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 14
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 2
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.7
- Strongest
- ~1
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Kenya is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 14 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 2 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.7.
- 1928
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 13 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.6 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder South Korea sits immediately above at 15 events and Botswana sits immediately below at 13.
Where Kenya sits in the catalog
Rank 128th of 187 tracked countries (30th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder South Korea sits immediately above at 15 events and Botswana sits immediately below at 13.
- South Korea - next more active (15 M4+)
- Botswana - next less active (13 M4+)
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
3 tracked countries share Kenya's exact count of 14 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Kenya ranks 2nd of 3 by strongest recorded magnitude (M5.2).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| French Southern Territories | 14 | M5.3 |
| Kenya (this page) | 14 | M5.2 |
| Saint Lucia | 14 | M5.2 |
0 of 14 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 2 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Kenya.
M6.0-6.9
2
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 2 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 13 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
2
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Kenya
The 2 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.7 | 33 km WNW of Nyahururu, Kenya | 15.0 km | Jan 6, 1928 |
| 6.2 | 21 km W of Kabarnet, Kenya | 10.0 km | Jan 10, 1928 |
Significant earthquake record (2 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Kenya since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 21 km W of Kabarnet, Kenya | 10.0 km | Jan 10, 1928 |
| 6.7 | 33 km WNW of Nyahururu, Kenya | 15.0 km | Jan 6, 1928 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Kenya-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Kenya-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Kenya? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Kenya? ▼
How seismically active is Kenya? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Kenya? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Kenya's figures
14 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M6.7 · average M4.6 · 2 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jul 16, 2024. Computed from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). See the methodology and USGS ComCat.
Disclaimer: PlainQuake is informational only, not an emergency service or engineering advice. See our full disclaimer.
What Kenya's numbers mean
Kenya ranks 128th of 187 countries tracked - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity.
- About 1 M4+ earthquakes strike Kenya per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1928 was the busiest year on record with 2 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Kenya's catalogued major earthquakes are shallow (under 70km) - shallow events generally produce stronger surface shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. How depth affects shaking
- The strongest catalogued event reached M6.7. Compare against neighboring or similarly-ranked countries before drawing conclusions from magnitude alone. Compare strongest earthquakes
Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) - not a real-time hazard assessment. For official guidance, see the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 315,341 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,428 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-07-19.