Over 300 residents from Taita Taveta County have moved to court seeking Sh 12 billion as damages from Kenya Pipeline Company for spilling oil in their village in 2016.
Through their lawyer Kenneth Amondi, the spillage has cost them a lot due to is spreading to their crops and also houses thus causing them get sick.
The residents of Miasenyi-Majengo Mapya village have also asked the court to compel KPC and NEMA to rehabilitate and restore their lands and ecosystem.
In court papers, the residents claim that in December 17,2016, the main pipeline owned by KPC that traverses Miasenyi and Majengo Mpaya villages in Taita Taveta burst thereby spilling volumes of oil which affected more than hundreds of villagers.
It is their argument that the spill spread to their farms destroying all crops and further led to dieses like coughing, flue and asthma.
“The spillage resulted in damage to the land as a result of toxic chemicals from the oil and oil dispersants to aid the clean-up resulted into complete alteration of the efficacy of their lands,” reads court papers.
Amondi further argues that The Oil Spill had dilapidating effect on the Wildlife Habitat and Breeding Grounds at the Miasenyi-Majengo Mapya Village with long term environmental effects to various species and nesting grounds and the habitats they depended on for survival.
The residents have also claimed that the spillage caused long terms effects including low production in vegetables, avocadoes and other fruits.
“The instant consequences of the toxic hydro carbons from the oil spill which has persisted is an upsurge of respiratory disease like chest and throat pains, coughing, flue, asthma which have interfered with school going children , the destruction of crops have since dried and yet farming was the mainstay of this community which is highly populated with poor households,” they claimed.
They have told court that efforts to reach a settlement with KPC since 2017 have been no agreement that’s why they moved to court to determine the matter.
“We have had a lot of communications with the defendant since 2017 with intent of and indications of compensation and a joint process of restoration or otherwise rehabilitation but the same have not yielded any fruit,” reads court papers.
The residents say that as a result of the spillage they are facing so many hardships thus they should be compensated.
