CS Duale orders removal of asbestos roofing from all buildings, cites Cancer risk

Government and religious institutions as well as schools and hospitals lead in buildings still under asbestos roofing 18 years since it was banned in the country.

According to Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, he has already written to three ministries asking them to enforce the removal of the roofing that is said to be one of the main causes of lung cancer the country.

Speaking when he appeared before the Petitions Committee of the National Assembly, Duale said the ministries had up to the end of this month to enforce the removal of the asbestos roofing.

“We can’t compromise on the health of our citizens, it’s currently raining everywhere, and our people are drinking water from those roofs, I apologize on behalf of previous regimes but this government must tackle this issue for the sake of people’s health,” Duale stated.

The CS, who faced questions from the Nimrod Mbai-led committee on why the government has taken too long to eradicate the roofing in the country since the ban in 2006, said the main issue has been the budget to implement the removal of the roofing.

He told the committee that the main culprits that still use asbestos roofing are government offices, barracks, churches and hospitals.

“I will take a Cabinet memo to Cabinet and we will discuss this issue at that top level to come up with a decision, because we can’t use the budget as an excuse while this issue affects the health of Kenyans,” he told the committee.

“The biggest problem has been the government but we are going to ensure that we deal with this issue.”

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has already mapped out buildings across the country that still have asbestos roofing, with Nairobi having the highest number.

Among the buildings that still have asbestos roofing in Nairobi include the Kenya Railways Corporation, Kenyatta University, Kenya Medical Training College, Kenyatta National Hospital and Deliverance Church in Umoja.

Asbestos is said to cause mesothelioma, a relatively rare cancer of the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen and cancers of the lung, larynx, and ovary.