Monday, October 28, 2024 – Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Hassan Ali
Joho has ordered the closure of the Simba Cement Factory in Kilifi County over
pollution.
“Because you have contravened the
law and therefore, I direct my Principal Secretary to institute the process of
issuing a notice of closure of this factory until they comply fully with the
mining and operation regulations,” he said.
Residents of Kambe Ribe in Rabai
sub-county have for a long time lamented about the effects of stone blasting
and dust from mining being undertaken by the Simba Cement factory in the area.
The factory located in Bondora
has given residents sleepless nights with the most affected being families in
downstream villages, eight kilometers from the firm where mining for raw
materials takes place.
Neema Mwadena, a resident of
Kambe village, said the mining activities had led to the destruction of property
and exposed families to respiratory diseases.
“The worrying thing Simba cement
does is to blast the sites very early in the morning when most people are still
asleep and this has resulted in tremors that have caused cracks in our houses.
“The dust is also so severe that animals die when they feed on vegetation in the
area. We don’t want Simba cement here,” said Mwadena.
Maurice Dzoro claimed that the
firm was forcefully displacing residents from two villages to expand their
mining sites.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
