Kenya’s Parliament has initiated a comprehensive investigation into alarming claims of toxic nuclear waste dumping in the North Eastern region, amid a surge in cancer cases. The allegations, dating back to the 1980s and 1990s, implicate unidentified foreign entities and point to a long-standing cover-up by successive governments.
The probe follows a petition presented to the National Assembly’s Environment Committee by Garissa Governor Nathif Jama and Wajir South MP Adiow Mohamed. The leaders expressed deep concern over a sharp increase in cancer diagnoses across counties such as Garissa, Wajir, Tana River, Isiolo, Marsabit, Embu, and even bordering regions of Somalia.
Governor Jama revealed that the region has recorded 2,417 cancer cases over the past three years, with 430 cases in 2023, 1,347 in 2024, and 640 already reported in the first half of 2025. He linked the spike to contamination of water sources from toxic waste allegedly dumped underground. “The most common cancer is oesophageal cancer, mainly because residents drink water from unprotected water pans,” he told the committee.
MP Adiow warned that the real figures could be much higher, citing limited access to healthcare and cultural factors that prevent residents from seeking medical attention. “Many people are suffering in silence,” he said.
Committee chair Vincent Musyoka (Mwala) vowed to conduct a multi-agency probe involving the Ministries of Health and Interior, terming the issue a national security threat. “Nuclear waste is not a simple matter. We must establish how and where it was dumped,” Musyoka stated.
Among those set to be summoned is former presidential candidate Cyrus Jirongo, who last year claimed that the Moi administration was complicit in the dumping of toxic nuclear materials. In an interview with lawyer PLO Lumumba, Jirongo disclosed he had accessed classified documents detailing the activity, allegedly passed to him by Jimmy Choge, lawyer to the late Nicholas Biwott.
The committee aims to uncover the truth behind these grave allegations and recommend urgent corrective measures to protect public health and the environment.
