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Article

9 Nov 2015

Author:
Philip Muasya, Standard Digital (Kenya)

Kenya Pipeline Company undertakes to compensate locals after oil spill contaminates water sources

"Kenya Pipeline Company promises to clean up river and soil after oil spill”

Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) management has eaten humble pie and apologised to residents of Thange location in Makueni County after a major oil spill in the area.  KPC acting Managing Director Florah Okoth and board chairman John Ngumi also promised to clean up the affected area and compensate residents for the damage, among other mitigation measures...

For more than five months now, residents of Thange, Moki, Mbulutini, Mwanza, Nzavoni and Ngomano villages have suffered after River Thange, their main source of water, was contaminated with oil. With no action being taken after the residents reported the matter to the company and National Environmental Management Authority (Nema), they blockaded Mombasa Road for several hours to protest the oil spillage...

 Ms Okoth said the company would engage experts to clean the river and the environment and make it better than “we found it.” “I want to say sorry for the spillage and its attendant effects. I want to give my word for total compensation for all the affected people. We will do total clean-up of the water and the soils. We have already commissioned experts to carry out that exercise,” she told residents at Thange market. The MD said before completion of investigations, the company will offer stop gap solutions such as providing clean water to the residents. “There is what we can do to mitigate the problems in the meantime and we will do that, just be patient and give us time to address the issues,” she said, adding that the company will provide three more giant water tanks in the villages.