Nairobi residents were a frustrated lot on Thursday 1, after they were denied the chance to witness the most spectacular eclipse this year.
The annular eclipse was to be experienced in Nairobi from 10am to 1am but city residents woke up to morning drizzle and heavy clouds that covered the sky past midday when the eclipse peaked in East Africa, blocking the view.
The eclipse was best observable in Tanzania, but experts said Kenyans could still see the moon take a bite out of the solar disk.
Those that had a view say they saw the eclipse last for its longest duration of three minutes and six seconds with the moon reducing the sun into a "ring of fire".
This elicited hilarious reactions among Kenyans online, with one online user claiming that a Member of Parliament had wasted the money set aside for the eclipse.
Others proposed that the phenomenon be rescheduled to ensure that Nairobians get the ultimate experience.
The annular eclipse was, however, experienced in other areas of the country including Mombasa, Nakuru and Eldoret where the weather was pretty clear.
The phenomenon is known as an annular solar eclipse and happens when the moon is farther from Earth and appears to be smaller than the visible disk of the sun, so for a few minutes the sun looks like a striking annulus, or ring, which is why an annular eclipse is also often called a ring of fire.
Meteorological department boss James Kongoti had predicted Nairobi and its environs would experience rains and cloudy mornings this week.