This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
Endmor Steel Millers' Air Pollution Plagues Syokimau Residents ¶
Published on July 13, 2020
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Syokimau in Machakos County was notorious for industrial pollution, but recent signs suggest the problem may be worsening.
On Mombasa Road, near the inland container depot, a factory in Syokimau has been emitting dark and white smog for over a year, polluting the air and causing concern among nearby residents.
Endmor Steel Millers, located just after the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, has been a source of pollution in the area, with beautiful homes nearby being ravaged by smog from the steel factory.
Joshua Odhiambo Nyakune, a resident who has been observing the factory, stated, 'That's what it does. The factory operates during day and night. I am not doing guesswork, it's something that happens. The release a lot of smoke during the night. It's like they know, it's the best time to do that.'
Flavia Mungai, a resident of Bustani Villas, has been living next to the factory for over four years and has struggled to breathe due to the pollution. 'Before, they would put it off for some couple of hours and they would do it a lot at night.... But now, it's throughout the day.... the whole night.... 24 hours...,' she said.
Due to the pollution, Mungai never opens her windows, and her children are unable to play outside due to the health risks. 'So will you take medicine for the rest of your life or what will you do.... nobody opens windows for fresh air... because there's no fresh air,' she said.
Code for Africa, a data journalism organization, teamed up with Citizen TV to investigate the claims of air pollution using digital air quality monitoring machines. An online survey for Syokimau residents was also commissioned, with over 50 people responding, 70% of whom complained of developing respiratory illness due to pollution.
Nazir Hakada, a resident who lost his daughter to respiratory complications, shared his story with Citizen TV. 'My loss has been very painful, and I would not want any other parent to go through what I went through.'
According to court documents, NEMA inspected Endmor Steel Millers on October 2, 2018, and instructed the facility to stop further air pollution. However, on October 4, 2018, NEMA found that the factory was still polluting, and despite this, they issued Endmor Steel Mills with a Stack Emissions License, which allowed them to continue releasing gases and particles into the air.
NEMA insists that the license had strict conditions attached to it, but many residents questioned the regulator's decision to issue the license despite the factory's history of ignoring directives.
On October 27, 2018, NEMA arranged a meeting between Endmor Steel Millers and residents of the neighboring estates, but the factory ignored the agreed-upon mitigation measures. In January 2019, environmental inspectors from NEMA Headquarters inspected the facility again and found that Endmor Steel Millers had installed an appropriate air pollution control system, but a huge plume of dark smoke and whitish smoke continued to jet out into the adjacent neighborhood.
On February 4, 2019, NEMA ordered Endmor Steel mills to cease operations due to the serious environmental and health risk posed by the facility to the surrounding community.
