Cases of chest and skin diseases have increased in estates near the Naivasha dumpsite, with residents pointing to poisonous emissions for their woes.
Led by Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja, the residents of Kayole, Mountain View, and Karai have petitioned the County government to relocate the dumpsite from the area.
Last month, area residents held a peaceful demonstration calling on the county to seek an alternative land for the dumpsite as poisonous waste continued to find its way into their homes.
Tens of wild animals from the nearby Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) have also died in the last couple of years after consuming some of the waste.
According to the Senator, the dumpsite was now an eyesore and public nuisance, with tonnes of waste finding its way into nearby schools and homes.
Karanja whose home is a kilometer from the dumpsite said that it was not clear how the facility was identified in the middle of some of the fast growing estates.
“Area residents are undergoing untold suffering due to waste from the dumpsite, and it is time that the county acted by relocating it away from human settlement,” she said.
Speaking in Naivasha after meeting some of those affected, she noted that some families had already relocated from the area due to the poisonous emissions.
According to one of the residents, Amos Kuria, the choking smoke and flowing waste had left them frustrated.
He said that the young and the old were the most affected after the waste spilled into their homes due to the failure to manage the site.
“We are recording cases of chest infections daily due to the poisonous emissions from this dumpsite, and we are calling on the county to urgently relocate it,” he said.
The emotional trader noted that they could not harvest rainwater as their roofs were covered with the soot from the dumpsite, making the rainwater poisonous.
“Our appeal is to have this dumpsite relocated to areas where there is no human settlement, as it has caused us untold suffering,” he said.
Another resident, Ann Wambui, said that the situation was getting worse by the day as the amount of dumped waste continued to pile up.
Wambui alleged that tens of wild animals and livestock had died after eating waste from the dumpsite that had not been fenced.
“The waste has been slowly spilling from the dumpsite and it has finally found its way into our homes, leaving a trail of suffering and diseases,” she said.
