AFRICA: Kenya: Cement Factory Store Faces Closure Over Pollution Claim

Residents of Mikindani in Mombasa are up in arms after a cement factory set up a storage area for clinker in their neighbourhood. Mombasa Cement rented a transport company's yard and set up a facility to store their clinker.

Clinker is coral mixed with chemicals and burnt at high temperatures. It is the main material used to make cement. The residents claim the dust from the clinker has been affecting them for the two or three years the facility has been in their neighbourhood. They said their children fall sick frequently. "They said they would wet the clinker before loading or offloading to reduce the dust. But that has not been done. Now we take our children to hospital everyday with chest problems," said Kame Baungu, 61, the Kikaango village elder in Mikindani.

Mercy Ichuku, a nurse at a health facility in the area said cases of chest problems are common in the area. "Almost everyday there has to be a patient with chest problems, cough, or any other respiratory infection or complication. We have had to refer some cases to the Coast General Hospital," she said.

The Public Health ministry has threatened to shut down the facility claiming the company went against the recommendations of an Environmental Impact Assessment report. "It is true we have received several complaints from the area residents. I did some investigations and found that the Mombasa Cement company has not followed what was agreed on when they conducted the EIA together with Nema," said Changamwe district public health officer John Ndung'u.

Ndung'u said the company was supposed to install a cyclone vent in the facility to prevent the dust from escaping into the air, but has failed to do so. "In May, they requested three months to acquire some machines from India to arrest the dust. But nothing has been done so far. We are contemplating moving to court or shutting down the facility altogether," said Ndung'u.

Nema environmental officer Benson Wemali said the company is in breach of the occupational safety measures. "There are two companies in the yard, the transport company, Montrex, and the cement company. It might be that the dust is from the floor of the yard which has no carbral," said Wemali.

Wemali said the company has to wet the clinker before loading or offloading. He said he will visit the site today to ascertain exactly which company is at fault.