ARM dismiss pollution allegations as false, malicious

By Philip Mwakio

Cement manufacturer, Athi River Mining (ARM) has dismissed allegations that it is polluting the environment as false and malicious. Human Rights Agenda (Huria), a Mombasa-based lobby last month released a report detailing various allegations of environmental pollution by the company.

But meeting Parliament’s Committee on Natural Resources and Environment at the plant in Bondora, Kaloleni County, ARM Chief Executive Mr Pradeep Paunrana dismissed the report as unfounded and its contents as designed to hurt his business.

The Committee’s mandate covers matters relating to climate, change, environmental management, water resources, wildlife, forestry, pollution and waste management.

Member of Parliament for Emuhaya Constituency Wilbur Otichillo who stood in for committee’s chairperson, Amina Abdalah said the visit sought to ascertain the true position regarding operations of the factory.

He said that Huria had filed a petition on allegations of excess emission of dust from mining and processing activities, noise emission from factory and related operations, general vibrations that occur as a result of business of the factory. Accompanied by the firm’s chairman, Mr Rick Ashley, Paunrana said the allegations hold no water and should thus be dismissed.

 “As a matter of fact, we have filed a counter-petition seeking clarifications on all matters raised in the report,” he said. He added that Athi River Mining conducts regular audits and has satisfied all environmental minimums as defined by National Environmental Management Authority (Nema).

“We have maintained our operations above board and within required parameters,” he said. Paunrana said Nema and other local and international agencies have been conducting periodic inspections for compliance.

Resume operations

In 2013, the company closed down its operations for two weeks to allow for investigations in the wake of protests organised by Huria. The firm was, however, allowed to resume operations after it satisfied all parameters.

Paunrana said the adherence to audits and recommendations made by the various agencies has earned ARM the ISO certification on environmental management systems based on ISO 14001:2004 standards.

ARM was also the first cement maker to be awarded the ISO 9001:2008 in Quality Management Systems. The recent past has seen several firms suffer sporadic attacks from lobby groups through debatable reports.

Last year, a report by the same lobby group was questioned after it emerged that one of the officers who endorsed it had been suspended from office and had no such powers to do so.

Hospitals that are reported to have examined the patients have also denounced the results in the reports.