The State has outlined plans to improve waste management in a process it says will lead to tighter regulations on disposal of radioactive and other hazardous material.
Senior officials of the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA) told Parliament on Wednesday that they are seeking resources to complete and expand the country’s Central Radioactive Waste Processing Facility built inside Oloolua Forest in Kajiado County.
The facility is the interim storage and processing installation for all radioactive waste produced in Kenya.
It was built in 2010 and commissioned in 2022 by the government through the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA) with the support of international partners, including the United States government.
KNRA Director General James Keter said on top of seeking an estimated Sh350 million to complete phase one of the radioactive waste processing facility, the agency is preparing new regulations to streamline the disposal of wastes harmful to lives and the environment.
Keter and KNRA board chairman Omondi Anyanga spoke as the Departmental Committee on Health of the National Assembly toured the facility.
The House committee members were accompanied by Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni.
“We have developed a set of nine regulations which we believe will further streamline waste disposal besides protecting lives, property and the environment from harmful effects of radiation,” the KNRA DG told MPs at the facility.
Kenya generates between 3,000 and 4,000 tonnes of waste per day, with Nairobi alone contributing between 2,000 and 2,500 tons daily, including potentially radioactive materials.
Committee chairman Robert Pukose said the authority will appear before Parliament next week to put forward its funding request and table a breakdown of expected expenses towards finishing up phase one and starting phase two.
“We have toured the facility to understand what it does and would like to get further information in a week,” Pukose said.
Seme MP James Nyikal sought to know how Kenya would be working with the International Atomic Energy Agency in its pursuit of the nuclear programme.
“As Kenya eyes nuclear, we look to KNRA to protect us,” Nyikal said.
Keter told the legislators that radioactive waste is potentially hazardous and must be managed in safe ways that ensure protection of the public and the environment.
“The completion and operationalisation of Phase One of this facility will mark a significant milestone. Yet, to further bolster its efficacy, we now seek further funding to advance it into Phase Two,” Keter said.
The committee’s visit was is in line with its mandate under House Standing Order No. 216(5) (b) to study the programmes and policy objectives of ministries and departments and the effectiveness of the implementation.
Experts say that poor management of radioactive waste or radioactive pollution can expose the public to cancer.
Other dangerous diseases that might occur include anaemia, leukaemia, hemorrhages, and cardiovascular diseases.
Besides KNRA’s regulatory role of protecting lives and the environment from harmful effects of nuclear and radiation, the authority hosts the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risk mitigation center at the Oloolua facility.
Experts say the use of radioactive sources and the quest to properly manage waste has brought with it some challenges that include the likelihood of the sources getting out of regulatory control and therefore posing a risk to public safety and security.