Babmburi Cement has temporarily been shut down by the Mombasa County government over alledged coal dust dumping.
The complaints on the dumping were raised by residents living near the plant forcing the county government to react by issuing the orders.
Visiting the plant was Mombasa Deputy Governor Francis Thoya and other officials from the National Environment Management Authority of Kenya (NEMA) to access the situation.
Thoya and the officials confirmed that it was true that the coals dust was being dumped openly instead of using silos as earlier communicated. It was after the visit the Deputy Governor issued the orders.
“I have ordered the operations of dumping the coal to be halted immediately and further ordered that their shipment at the port of Mombasa be withheld immediately,” he said
According to Thoya, his office had received complaints from residents with many complaining of respiratory infections.
“The residents had complained to us demanding to know what action we were going to take,” he said
Bamburi Cement has since been ordered to raise a draft of regulations it will undertake to deal with the piled coal dust.
