NEMA demands Kenya Pipeline’s immediate action over 2015 Makueni oil spill

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has written to the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) demanding immediate action over the long-drawn restoration following an oil spill in Thange, Makueni County.

In a Tuesday letter, NEMA has demanded that KPC implement urgent environmental remediation measures in response to the spill which has impacted the river's ecosystem and local communities since 2015.

Among the key requirements, KPC must within 14 days provide an updated status report on the implementation of eight conditions previously outlined in a 2021 letter concerning the spill.

“Develop and submit to the Authority a comprehensive and concise remediation and restoration plan with timelines for review and consideration by NEMA within 14 days from the date of receipt of this Order,” the authority’s director-general, Mamo B. Mamo, wrote.

NEMA wants the state corporation to outline the measures and processes of remediation, cleaning up the polluted environment, removal of the effects of pollution, and full restoration of the affected environment it plans to use.

Furthermore, the company has been ordered to immediately secure the contaminated site to prevent public interference, which could worsen the environmental hazard before full remediation is achieved.

KPC must also undertake a comprehensive environmental, social, and health assessment—including hydrological and geological surveys—to gauge the full extent of the damage.

The report must be submitted within 21 days and include a socio-economic and population health analysis to guide future interventions and compensation efforts.

Laboratory testing of soil, water, and local biota to determine the presence of hydrocarbons must also be conducted, NEMA said, with results due in the same 21-day timeframe.

“The outcome of the assessment… shall inform environmental restoration and compensation of the affected persons; activities that shall commence as soon as the results are documented,” the letter reads.

The restoration order also mandates the creation of a monitoring plan to assess the effectiveness of the clean-up and remediation efforts.

KPC has been urged to collaborate with NEMA, the Water Resources Authority (WRA), the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), the Ministry of Health, and the Makueni County Government.

A final comprehensive report detailing all restoration activities and compliance with the directives is to be submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Energy within a month.

The oil spill originated from a leak in KPC’s Mombasa-Nairobi pipeline in May 2015.

Despite initial clean-up efforts, petroleum seeped into the Thange River and surrounding areas, and residents have been demanding compensation for the environmental and health crises the spillage caused.

They complain of cancer, kidney failure, and other ailments linked to benzene and diesel contamination.

Additionally, the spill contaminated the water and rendered farmland in the river basin infertile, disrupting agriculture and livelihoods.

Last month, the Senate Energy Committee, led by Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga, visited the area and urged KPC, NEMA, and the local county government to urgently find a solution to the matter.