An aircraft trail over the area between Mt Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges in July 2026. Photo/Kaniaru Kibiru/Home News
By Kaniaru wa Kibiru- Home News
Something unusual has been capturing attention in the skies over the Mt Kenya region, with residents reporting an increase in aircraft activity and persistent white trails stretching across the sky.
For the past two months, residents in areas between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges have reported seeing planes — some described as military jets — flying overhead and leaving trails that, according to witnesses, remain visible for hours and sometimes appear to linger into the following day.
The phenomenon has sparked concern among some farmers, community leaders and activists, who question whether the trails are ordinary aircraft contrails or evidence of deliberate chemical spraying.
The claims, however, remain unverified.
Residents raise concerns
“We have never seen anything like this,” said a farmer from Laikipia who requested anonymity. “Planes fly over every day, sometimes in patterns, and leave behind these thick lines that just stay in the sky. The clouds seem different. The rains are not coming as they should. We are afraid.”
Similar concerns have been raised in Nyeri, Nyandarua and Meru, where some farmers and community members say weather patterns have become increasingly unpredictable.
They describe situations in which persistent cloud cover appears to promise rain, only for little or no rainfall to follow. At other times, they say, intense sunshine quickly dries up crops and water sources.
In Samburu, pastoralists have also expressed concern about the condition of their livestock amid prolonged dry conditions.
“I have never seen anything like it,” said a community elder. “The sky looks like it wants to rain, but it does not. Then the sun comes out too hot. My cattle are weak. What is happening to our weather?”
The concerns have led some residents to question whether the aircraft trails could be connected to changing weather patterns.
Contrails or chemtrails?
The claims have also revived a long-running global debate over so-called “chemtrails” — a term commonly used by proponents of a conspiracy theory alleging that aircraft deliberately release chemicals into the atmosphere.
Aviation and meteorological experts, however, say there is a well-established scientific explanation for the white trails commonly observed behind aircraft.
When aircraft fly at high altitudes, hot engine exhaust containing water vapour mixes with extremely cold surrounding air. Under suitable atmospheric conditions, the water vapour condenses and freezes into tiny ice crystals, producing what are known as condensation trails, or contrails.
Depending on temperature, humidity and wind conditions at altitude, contrails can persist for extended periods and spread across the sky.
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“There is a well-documented scientific explanation for contrails,” said an aviation expert who requested anonymity. “When aircraft fly at high altitudes, the hot engine exhaust mixes with the cold, humid air. The water vapour freezes into ice crystals, creating the white lines we see in the sky.”
The expert added that atmospheric conditions can cause the trails to remain visible for hours and gradually spread into cloud-like formations.
Meteorologists have similarly cautioned against interpreting persistent contrails as evidence of chemical spraying.
“There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that these trails contain harmful chemicals designed to manipulate weather,” another expert said. “We encourage citizens to rely on verified information and avoid spreading unverified claims.”
Farmers want answers
Despite the scientific explanation for contrails, the concerns among farmers remain.
Across parts of the Mt Kenya region and neighbouring areas, farmers are already grappling with unpredictable weather, crop losses and pressure on water resources.
“I cannot remember a time when the weather was this unpredictable,” said a Nyandarua farmer. “We plant, and the sun burns everything. We see clouds, and the rain does not fall. We are losing everything. We need answers.”
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Conservationists have also raised broader concerns about increasingly erratic weather patterns, although attributing individual weather events to aircraft activity would require scientific evidence.
Climate variability, changing rainfall patterns and the wider effects of global climate change can all influence local weather conditions.
The presence of persistent aircraft trails, therefore, does not by itself establish a link between aviation activity and drought or changing rainfall patterns.
Calls for transparency
Activists and concerned citizens have nevertheless begun documenting what they describe as unusual aerial activity.
Some have photographed aircraft trails and recorded flight patterns, while others are calling on government agencies to clarify whether any authorised aerial spraying, weather modification or other atmospheric activities are taking place.
“We are not asking for conclusions. We are asking for transparency,” said one activist. “If this activity is harmless, let the government explain it. If there is some weather modification programme underway, let the public know. Citizens have a right to know what is happening in their skies.”
The campaigners want the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to clarify whether any authorised aerial spraying operations are taking place in the region.
They are also calling on the Kenya Meteorological Department to investigate the claims and establish whether there is any evidence of artificial weather modification.
County governments in affected areas have been urged to raise the matter at county assembly level, while the national government has been asked to address public concerns surrounding geoengineering and weather-related activities.
“We are not accusing anyone of wrongdoing,” the activist added. “We are simply asking: what is happening above our heads? The people of this region deserve to know.”
The global geo-engineering debate
The concerns come amid a wider international debate over geoengineering and possible technologies for modifying the Earth’s climate.
Concepts such as Solar Radiation Management (SRM) and Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering (SAG) have been discussed by scientists and policymakers as possible responses to global warming.
Such proposals remain controversial, with scientists and policymakers debating their potential benefits, risks and unintended consequences.
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However, discussion of geoengineering technologies at the global level should not be confused with evidence that such activities are taking place over Mt Kenya or elsewhere in Kenya.
At present, there is no publicly available evidence establishing that Kenya is conducting a programme involving the deliberate release of chemicals from aircraft to manipulate weather.
The reported aircraft trails may therefore warrant public clarification, but the claims surrounding them should not be presented as established fact without independent scientific or official verification.
Residents seek reassurance
For residents, however, the issue is about more than the trails themselves.
Farmers are worried about unpredictable weather, livestock owners are concerned about water and pasture, and communities want explanations for what they see in the skies above them.
“We are not conspiracy theorists,” one activist told The Home News. “We are citizens who live under these skies. We see what is happening. We just want to know the truth.”
The concerns raised by communities in Laikipia, Nyeri, Nyandarua, Samburu and Meru could therefore be addressed through greater transparency from relevant government agencies.
An official explanation of aircraft movements and any authorised aerial operations would help distinguish legitimate aviation activity from speculation.
Until such information is provided, the allegations of “chemtrails” and weather manipulation remain unproven.
What is clear is that residents want answers — not necessarily to confirm a conspiracy, but to understand what they are seeing and to restore confidence in the institutions responsible for the country’s skies and weather.
Editor’s note: The claims concerning “chemtrails”, weather manipulation and possible chemical spraying have not been independently verified. Scientific explanations for persistent aircraft trails point to naturally occurring contrails under suitable atmospheric conditions. The Home News does not endorse the allegations presented in this report. Government agencies had not responded to the claims at the time of publication.
Kaniaru wa Kibiru is a Pan-African Globalisation Sociologist
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