Concern over hospital waste dumped in village

Medical waste with Mater Hospital labels were dumped in a village in Kiambu County, close to a river from where the residents draw water for domestic use.

Residents of Nyathuna village said that they had woken up to the waste three weeks ago and alerted the Kiambu county government environmental office.

According to Ms Grace Waringa, on whose family’s farm the waste was dumped, said that they had seen blood in plastic bags, a few syringes and broken plates with the hospital’s label and alerted both the hospital and the county government.

“They acknowledged that indeed the dirt came from the hospital and that they would remove it, they have not done so more than two weeks later,” she said.

Mr David Kamau, a community leader said that they were appalled that the hospital, situated in Nairobi’s South C estate, would decide to dump the waste in their village.

He said the waste was a health risk as they would contaminate the water besides being harmful to children.

“This here is a road and it is scares me what would happen should a child get curious and try to play with these things,” he said.

The Nation established that the waste, a modest heap of plastic papers and broken bottles that had already started stinking, was near the road and on a hill. Below the hill is a river.

From the highway leading to Ndenderu, Nyathuna is almost a 40-minute drive on a rough road, through a thicket characteristic of rural Kiambu.

Notably, Mater hospital launched a state of the art incinerator for medical waste not so long ago.

The case also highlights the disjointed way in which county and national bodies work.

Mr Raymond Muriuki, Kiambu County’s environmental officer had sought the audience of the chief officer of Mater Hospital as well as written a letter, but the regional representatives from National Environmental Management Authority(NEMA) had not heard about the case.

NEMA’s officer Jimmy Owiti responded to the alert: “I am also hearing it from you for the first time.”

“This is a devolved function, it is in our jurisdiction,” he told Nation over the phone.

Mr Muriuki said that the county government was aware of the dirt and the potential harm it posed to the unsettled villagers but could not remove the waste because “it is Mater that put it there, and now it is evidence.”

He added that the hospital should take responsibility for the waste, and in case they would not remove it because “we do not deal with medical waste”.

Now the Kiambu County government, Mr Muriuki said, is pursuing a prosecutorial approach against the hospital.

Efforts by the Nation to get a comment from the hospital proved futile as our queries received no response.

However, unofficial unofficial sources pointed a finger at a contractor charged with waste disposal.