It was undoubtedly one of those days when nature surprised both scientists and the religiously inclined.

And for residents of Gikingi in Nyahururu, the deep sparkling sheet of hailstones that covered a large swathe of nearby Ol Bolosat forest was a spectacle.

Meteorologists gave detailed explanations of the science behind the 30-minute hailstorm last Tuesday afternoon that laid the sheet of ice balls that was visible from three kilometres away.

Some residents stood on their roof tops to get a better view of what they had previously on seen on television.

A rare business opportunity presented itself to photographers as joyful residents posed for pictures, walking, touching and tasting hailstones as others knelt on the cold ground in prayers of thanksgiving!

Immense damage

The curiosity that lured many was partly fuelled by rumours that the hailstorm had caused extensive damage to livestock and homes.

Many travelled from Sipili centre some 57 kilometres away; others from Nakuru and Nairobi. Even the international media sent crews to record the spectacle.

The Daily Nation, which carried a front page picture on the phenomenon, sold out early on Wednesday as readers jostled for copies to keep for posterity.

But it was not all smiles for everyone. Area MP Erastus Kihara Muriithi and his neighbours were counting huge losses after the hailstones destroyed exotic flowers and maize crops.

Mr Mureithi's 60-hectare Podo Farm where he grows flowers in greenhouses suffered extensive damage after the nylon gauze canopy caved in under the weight of the hailstones.

A senior manager at the farm, David Mwangi, said experts would assess the damage caused to the flower farm.

On neighbouring farms, young maize plants were beaten to a pulp, leaving farmers with virtually no hope for harvests.

Nyandarua North DC Hassan Farah said the families affected would be provided with relief food to mitigate their losses. Area forest officer Wahome Mwangi blamed the unusual downpour on deforestation in the area.

The assistant director in charge of media at the Meteorological Department Ayub Shaka said the department lacked proper equipment to forecast such rare occurrences.