"A group of 298 petitioners from remote villages of Marsabit County in northern Kenya is suing BP and the Kenyan government over oil exploration waste from the 1980s that it says is causing a cancer cluster that has killed hundreds. Residents and local health workers say cancer cases and deaths have risen steadily, with more than 500 people reported dead from cancers affecting the digestive system, particularly the oesophagus and stomach. Many were from villages where access to medical care remains limited."
"They believe rising cancer cases are linked to toxic waste left behind during oil exploration in the 1980s. Six years ago, doctors diagnosed Maisan Chamuset, 74, with throat cancer and told him he might never speak normally again. Today, Chamuset communicates through a small pipe inserted in his throat, and his voice comes out strained and mechanical, a reminder of the effect the disease had on his life. Chamuset's experience reflects a growing trend in the desert settlement of Kargi, where death tolls are on the rise, including his wife, who died of stomach cancer in 2018."
"Between 1986 and 1989, the US oil company Amoco, later acquired by BP, drilled exploration wells around the Chalbi Desert in search of oil. Foreign crews worked the area, found no viable deposits, and left. Residents say the company left more behind than empty wells. At former drilling sites, remnants are still visible: a rusting pipe marked Amoco Kenya and patches of a white, powdery substance scattered across the ground."
"For years, some of the suffering families perceived the deaths as divine punishment. Suspicion eventually shifted to something more terrestrial, to what had happened in the desert decades earlier. Everyone here has similar problems, Chamuset says. Many people have died women, men, young people. Those responsible should be held to account."
A group of 298 petitioners from remote villages in Marsabit County is suing BP and the Kenyan government over waste left from oil exploration in the 1980s. Residents and local health workers report a steady rise in cancer cases and deaths, including cancers of the digestive system, especially the oesophagus and stomach. More than 500 deaths are reported, and many affected people come from villages with limited access to medical care. Residents link the cancer cluster to toxic waste left behind after exploration wells were drilled between 1986 and 1989 by Amoco, later acquired by BP. Visible remnants at former sites include rusting pipes and white powdery patches. Affected individuals describe severe, life-altering illness and death within families.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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