Nuclear power, cancer and claims of toxic waste in N. Eastern Kenya

Garissa Governor Nathif Jama linked the rising cases of cancer in North Eastern Kenya to "dumping of toxic nuclear waste." [File, Standard] Last week, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) presided over a meeting dubbed Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) for East African states. CHMs are follow-ups to Bamako Convention: a treaty of African countries that prohibits the import of hazardous and radioactive waste into Africa. At the meeting, effects of the alleged dumping of nuclear waste in North Eastern Kenya, in 1980s, came up. "Our neighbours Somalia are not alive to the effects of that dumping in northeastern Kenya. It may spill over to them through floods or through seepage of underground water," said David Munene, Africa Regional Facilitator of Major Groups and Stakeholders at UNEP. For years, speculation on covert dumping of nuclear waste in North-Eastern has been rife. However, crystal truth is yet to emerge. One man - Cyrus Jirongo - would single handedly pull national attention to the matter in 2024 while on set with lawyer PLO Lumumba. Jirongo (who died last month) said he had been given documents, by a government linked lawyer, containing evidence of dumping of toxic waste in North-Eastern. "That's why cancer cases are heaviest in Meru moving towards northeastern Kenya," Jirongo pointed out. It wasn't clear if his statements amounted to political talk. But Jirongo's statement was not one to be taken lightly considering that he once served as a Cabinet minister. Whatever it was, the fuse had been lit and calls for total accountability rang from many quarters. Cancer cases Wajir South MP Mohammed Adow immediately called for thorough investigations and for the government to own up to its mistakes - allowing dumping of toxic (possibly nuclear) waste in the region. In April 2024, he said: "The claims of nuclear dumping in North Eastern region stirred discomfort about health challenges among residents who believe that the rampant cases [of cancer] can be traced back to the dumping of nuclear waste." In June 2025, appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Environment, Garissa Governor Nathif Jama linked the rising cases of cancer in the area to "dumping of toxic nuclear waste". Between 2023 and June 2025, North-Eastern recorded 2,437 cancer cases according to the National Cancer Registry. In 2011, speaking to an investigative team from KTN, Asunta Gelgetile, then a nurse in Marsabit, described high cases of throat cancer. "This must be connected to food or water people are consuming," Gelgetile told KTN. Is it possible that covert and illegal dumping of nuclear waste - like what is alleged in North-Eastern - has been taking place around the world? The answer is Yes. In 1992, the then Executive Director of UNEP, Dr. Mostafa Tolba, stated that European companies had been illegally dumping hazardous toxic waste off Somalia's coast. The December 2004 Tsunami disaster churned out barrels, drums and containers carrying toxic waste - suspected nuclear waste among them - off Somalia's coast: digging up buried evidence that the world was not supposed to see. According to UNEP, Somalia was an ideal target for the criminal activities possibly due to political instability and civil war. Reportedly, majority of the dumping activities in Somalia were planned in Italy, said to be home to unscrupulous waste brokers who handle toxic waste for industrialized countries then work with affiliate criminal organizations generally identified as 'Ecomafia' to get rid of the waste cheaply and illicitly. In 2013, three containers of radioactive waste coming from China were intercepted in Algeria. On December 13, 2021, a 20-foot container carrying radioactive waste, arrived at the port of Mombasa on a ship. Kenya Ports Authority officials informed the media that the container had been packed onto the ship in India. According to the ship's manifest the container was carrying assorted hardware like padlocks. The radioactivity of the material it was carrying became apparent after it was passed through radiation portal monitors. The container's final destination was Tanzania. To get there, it would have been carried through Kenyan roads. As far as the North-Eastern case is concerned, dumping of nuclear waste has never been proven. At best, independent tests have only proven that the area's ground water contains high levels of nitrates and arsenic. According to a report by Greenpeace, the poisoning of North-Eastern lands is linked to extensive oil exploration in 1980s by a foreign company known as Amoco - affiliated to British Petroleum (BP) - who failed to properly dispose toxic waste arising from their activities. Evidence suggests presence of a whitish ash-like material around exploratory wells dug by the oil explorers, that remains visible even today. Last June, Parliament initiated a probe into nuclear dumping in North Eastern. Fears around nuclear waste disposal have contributed to growing discontent with Kenya's national prospects for nuclear power. "Pursuing nuclear power is another avenue for importation of nuclear waste," Munene said at the UNEP meeting. In May last year, villagers in Uyombo, Kilifi, held a protest when information spread that visitors from Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) had arrived to set up some monitoring instrumentation. Layers of protection Uyombo is home to the site identified by NuPEA for the establishment of a nuclear power plant. The demonstrators clashed with police. Among the demonstrators was Lynette Rehema. Speaking to Al-Jazeera, Rehema voiced her opposition to nuclear power. "It will kill people. Women will give birth to babies with one leg or no eyes and such abnormalities." Such is the dread that many Kenyans feel about nuclear power. Engineer Eric Ohaga, who is the sirector of nuclear energy infrastructure development at NuPEA, says: "There is absolutely no need for anyone to worry. Nuclear power plant operations are designed with multiple layers of protection to make sure that human beings are not exposed to radiation." The CHM meeting saw voices from East Africa unite towards protection of Africa against highly hazardous waste. "Rwanda is a signatory of the Bamako Convention. We ratified the treaty in 2018. We have enacted a comprehensive legal framework to make sure that hazardous or radioactive waste don't come into our country," said Lavie Mutanganshuro with Rwanda High Commission. Bushra Ahmed, an advisor to the Somali ambassador in Kenya said: "By sharing data and validating waste flows in real time, we can ensure that no shipment of hazardous material enters our territory undetected." Somalia is in the final stages of the ratifying the Bamako Convention following Cabinet approval. "We view this as an important shield for our coastline and our communities," Ahmed said.

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