Safety fears grow over rocket debris in Makueni

A Ministry of Health warning against visiting the area where a mysterious metallic object landed after dropping from the skies at Mukuku Village in Makueni County has raised eyebrows.

The warning by Public Health Principal Secretary, Mary Muthoni, over safety threats posed by the objects, identified as fragments of a rocket, came at a time when the country’s preparedness to intercept and handle stray Space objects came into sharp focus. 

“While preliminary assessments suggest no immediate threat to public health, the Ministry of Health advises the public to avoid the area where the object was found and refrain from handling any unknown materials.

Communities are encouraged to report any health concerns or unusual environmental changes to local health authorities,” Ms Muthoni said on Saturday in a statement to newsrooms.

Ms Muthoni’s warning came three days after the Kenya Space Agency downplayed the impact of the debris.

“We want to assure the public that the object poses no immediate threat to safety,” the space agency said in a statement on Wednesday, in which it identified the metallic ring measuring 2.5 metres in diameter and weighing about 500kg as Space-object debris.

Multi-agency team

The space agency has since recovered the object and preserved it for further investigations.

“Yesterday we visited the object where it is secured just to confirm if there were any elevated levels of radiation. From our assessments we saw that the radiation levels were 3 or 4 times above the background level,” Michael Atogo, a Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority official, said on Friday when he led a team of Ministry of Health, Kenya Space Agency officials, and security agencies in combing the affected region to assess the impact of the crash.

“Based on our analysis we found that the radiation levels were within the acceptable limits for public health and therefore we said we needed to come here to carry out some survey to get more information.”

Ms Muthoni has defended the government response to the incident, citing the multi-agency team involved.
“In response to this incident, a multi-agency team was swiftly deployed to the site.

Security personnel cordoned off the area and engaged Kenya Defense Forces, Kenya Space Agency, Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority, and the Ministry of Health to coordinate response and ensure public safety.”

However, this did not assuage the security and safety concerns sparked by the incident, which has sent shockwaves beyond the sleepy village and placed it on the global map.

Makueni Senator Daniel Maanzo led voices poking holes in the government response, terming it an indictment on Kenya's security preparedness. 

“We expected the government to be able to detect the debris of the spacecraft and intercept it before it crashed. The fact that we were unable to detect the object and stop it before it landed means that we are exposed,” he told the Nation on Saturday. 

“The fact that various government agencies are about to clock a week before concluding investigation on the mysterious object, including its origin, flies in the face of the country’s security preparedness. What would have happened if it had fallen on a building or a security installation?”

Mr John Mukunuu, a community leader, called on the government to set up an information desk in the affected area to enhance the coordination of the response to the incident.

“The government should demonstrate seriousness in addressing this problem. At this stage, government agencies should be working closely with the affected persons to enable them to secure compensation for the destruction and disturbance caused by the crash,” he said. 

Mr Harrison Kianga, in whose farmland the objects had landed, called for enhanced surveillance, saying he believed the neighborhood was littered with much such debris.

“On Monday afternoon, we saw a rain of smoldering objects falling from the skies before we were disrupted by the deafening thunderstorm-like sound of the object which crash-landed at the neighboring Mukuku Village. Once the dust settled, I discovered two mysterious objects in my farmland and alerted the assistant chief. I am sure there are many more scattered in this neighborhood. We are exposed to the dangers posed by the debris. Our livestock is also exposed,” Mr Kianga told the Nation at Mithumoni Village. 

Major Allois Were, a Kenya Defence Forces officer attached to Kenya Space Agency, said the two recovered materials were part of the rocket separation ring which had crash-landed in the neighboring Mukuku Village.

He further downplayed concerns that Kenyans were exposed to falling space objects, saying chances of rocket debris reentering the earth's surface were extremely slim.

“This is a rare occurrence. In most cases they burn to ashes,” he said.