MPs demand probe into alleged toxic waste dumping in Northern Kenya

Three MPs from Wajir County have called for thorough investigations into the claims that toxic nuclear waste was dumped in Northern Kenya during the reign of former president Daniel Arap Moi.

The MPs, Mohammed Adow (Wajir South), Hussein Abdi Barre (Tarbaj), and Aden Daud Mohamed (Wajir East), said the claims made by former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo confirmed the rumours that have existed in the region.

At a press conference at Parliament buildings on Tuesday, they challenged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to arrest Jirongo and compel him to shed more light on his alleged conversion with the late President Moi on the dumping under the guise of oil exploration.

“We are laymen and therefore not sure of the veracity of Jirongo’s claims,” said Aden. “That is why we are calling for thorough investigations.”

“If the information is true, then we must say that the Moi administration committed genocide against the people of northern Kenya.”

At the press conference, the MPs said the time has come for the government to lay rest incessant rumours on the course of cancer prevalence in the north, which was linked to the dumping of toxic waste.

Among the areas in the north that have been linked to the dumping are the northern side of Garissa County, West and South of Wajir County.

“For the last 30 years, people in the north have been complaining of high incidences of cancer. Time has come for transparency,” said Mohamed Adow, arguing that the region has gone through an epidemic of cancer.

Jirongo revelations

Jirongo made the revelation in an interview with lawyer PLO Lumumba in an unmarked video, which has been shared widely on social media.

Jirongo, who led the famous Youth for Kanu 1992 and was close to Moi in the early 1990s, says in the video that late lawyer Jimmy Choge handed him documents that contained details of the dumping. Jimmy Choge was the former Aldai MP between 2002 and 2007.

His brother Ibrahim Choge was the late Moi’s son-in-law, while their father, the late Kiptum Choge, also served as MP Aldai between 1997 and 2002.

“I haven’t talked about this before,” Jirongo further said, adding that he confronted Moi over the same.

“In my naivety, I decided to confront President Moi,” he says, a decision he will live to regret. “I have never been in trouble. Moi made noise and ranted for 30 minutes, demanding to know where I got the documents from.”

After the meeting, the then President cautioned him against revealing details of their conversation to anyone. “If I hear the details of this meeting out there, you will regret it,” Jirongo says in the video.

“The way the information was received was so violent that I concluded that I had confronted the people who were dumping toxic waste in Kenya.”

Mohamed Adow said that if the investigations determine that the claims are true, the state must initiate a clean-up process complete with reparations to the affected individuals.

Cancer burden

However, a report submitted to the Senate by former Health CS Mutahi Kagwe indicated that Nyeri, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, and Embu counties have the highest cancer prevalence in Kenya.

The report showed that Nyeri (2,127), Murang’a (2,123), Kirinyaga (2,033), Embu (1,906),  Taita Taveta (1,884) and Machakos has 1,844 for every 100,00 people.

CS Kagwe told the Health Committee in 2022 that the Northern Region has the least number of cancer cases in the country.

At that time, the cases were least in Wajir (1,221), Mandera (1,224), Garissa (1,257), West Pokot (1,273), Turkana (1,289), and Samburu (1,313).

About 42,116 cases of cancer are reported every year.