This study adopts the concept of atmospheric rivers, which is often applied in the extratropics, in an innovative manner to study the synoptic moisture fluxes in tropical East Africa, a region that stands out in terms of its inter-annual rainfall variability with large socio-economic impacts. In doing so, the authors are able to provide critical insights into the mechanisms underlying this rainfall variability and connect inter-annual changes to shorter time scales and specific synoptic events, including tropical cyclones and phases of the Madden-Julian Oscillation.