Health and environmental crises loom over Bomet housing project due to dumpsite standoff

A public health and environmental crisis is brewing at the nearly complete Bomet affordable housing units, where a sprawling dumpsite sits just metres away, polluting a key river and threatening the health of thousands.

The stench from the dumpsite wafts over the new housing units, the adjacent Bomet University College, two schools, and the county governor’s offices. The sight of livestock, stray animals, and scavengers rummaging through the rotting refuse is a daily occurrence.

 On a daily basis, tractors dump waste collected from Bomet town and its environs at the site, hardly 100 metres from Nyangores River. During the rainy season, sludge and toxic runoff are washed downstream, directly polluting the river, which flows into the Mara River ecosystem; a vital water source for the world-renowned Maasai Mara and Serengeti National Parks. 

Also read: Land disputes fuel Bomet’s waste management crisis

The root of the problem is a seven-year standoff between the Bomet County government and the Prisons Department over the ownership of a 13-acre piece of land. The county insists that part of this land was designated for a dumpsite in the approved Bomet Town Development Plan and has written multiple letters to the National Land Commission and the Ministry of Lands since 2019, demanding the Prisons Department vacate the portion meant for waste disposal.

The dispute has thwarted attempts to relocate the dumpsite even as the housing units near completion.
Despite a visit and assurances from the Inter-Governmental Technical Committee in March 2024 that the land would be resurveyed and the matter resolved, the dispute persists.

This situation has sparked outcry from local leaders and residents.

According to John Langat, a resident, the dumpsite's location next to the Nyangores River—a key water source for Bomet Town—has exposed locals to various diseases. "We are suffering from airborne, waterborne, and respiratory illnesses," he said. "The health and environmental risks have been ignored by both county and national governments, despite their clear duty to provide us with a safe living environment."

Leonard Langat, chairman of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce in Bomet, called it a "ticking public health time bomb," warning of outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and dysentery if an alternative dumpsite is not secured as a matter of urgency. A cholera outbreak linked to the river already occurred in 2015 and again in February 2024, where four people were hospitalised; leading to the closure of all open air markets for three weeks.
“This is a ticking public health time bomb that is only waiting to explode whereas the national and county governments are dragging their feet in resolving the matter," said Mr Langat.

The area immediately surrounding the dumpsite is densely populated and hosts several key institutions such as Bomet University College, St Michael’s primary and secondary schools, Bomet Teachers Training College, Tenwek Hospital Annexe, the governor's offices and the county commissioner’s offices.

Lecturers, teachers, students, and residents have long endured the pungent smell, which has been linked to outbreaks of respiratory diseases.

Dr Joseph Sitonik, the county’s Health executive, acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating, “The residents are exposed to water-borne diseases, thus the need to speed up the process of resolving the standoff.”

Another critical issue is the availability of reliable, clean drinking water. The county government has faced public scrutiny for its failure to provide reliable water. This is compounded by the financial crisis at the Bomet Water and Sanitation Company, which owes Kenya Power Sh28 million for electricity and has unpaid staff salaries totaling 
Sh259 million, some dating back over 20 months.

The Department of Water has now been directed to expedite solutions ahead of official opening and handover of the housing units.
The crisis gained national attention when the Parliamentary Committee on Housing, chaired by Emurua Dikirr Member of Parliament Johana Ngeno, toured the housing units on August 27.

The MPs expressed shock at the pollution, which casts a dark shadow over the 220 housing units initiated by President William Ruto’s administration and now confirmed to be 90 per cent complete.

“With this kind of standoff and stench wafting into the housing unit, we do not expect owners to move in after being allocated their respective units in the days ahead if the situation is not dealt with immediately,” Mr Ngeno stated, promising the committee would take up the matter with relevant government agencies.

Additionally, Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris raised concerns over poor workmanship and potential structural risks in the housing units, urging a review of the finishing.

Public utilities

The county has been seeking to relocate the dumpsite for the past seven years to a 13-acre plot that was designated for public utilities in the 2001 Bomet Town Development Plan.

Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok wrote to the National Land Commission in August 2023, asserting that survey maps show the property belongs to the county government and that the Prisons Department, which currently utilises the land for farming, should adjust its boundaries. 

In March 2024, Inter Governmental Technical Committee Chairman Kithinji Kiragu toured the site with the governor and county commissioner, assuring residents that a resurvey would be conducted within one week to settle the matter. He stated that the prisons department would retain its 10.3 acres, while any additional land would be allocated to the county for a dumpsite, thereby enabling the national government to proceed with housing construction.

However, nearly a year and a half later, the dispute remains unresolved.

In the interim, the county government continues to dump garbage at the current site, forcing residents to endure the environmental and health hazards as the affordable housing units await occupancy. 

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