Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has urged the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to intervene after claims emerged that a hospital in Kisii is releasing raw sewage into nearby streams.
In a statement issued Tuesday, August 5, the senator said residents from Sameta Mokwerero ward in Bobasi Constituency had shared videos and accounts showing untreated waste being discharged from the hospital into rivers used for domestic purposes.
Onyonka said the situation had triggered health concerns, with locals reporting outbreaks of waterborne diseases.
“Testimonies from the locals indicate that the community is already suffering the effects of the actions of Lenmek Hospital to release the effluent waste to the river,” he said. “The families living near the hospital have reported an outbreak of waterborne diseases since the vice started.”He also accused the hospital of using police to silence those raising complaints.
“The residents of Nyanuguti have raised their concerns that the proprietor of the facility uses the police to intimidate them anytime they attempt to raise a complaint over this issue,” the senator said.Onyonka has also given the hospital a seven-day ultimatum to provide copies of its NEMA license, public health license by the county government, and Ministry of Health license.
He cited Article 35 of the Constitution and the Access to Information Act, 2016, that the public is entitled to such information to foster transparency and accountability.
Raw human waste from Kenyan hospitals is classified as healthcare risk waste. It is supposed to be sorted from the rest of the waste, kept in designated containers, and picked by authorized collectors for safe disposal in licensed facilities.
Onyonka added that the Public Health Act (Cap 242) comes with clear guidelines on sewage disposal and public health, where the local authorities are empowered with the ability to institute sanitation and safe water body contamination.
