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A group of 298 plaintiffs from remote villages in northern Kenya’s Marsabit County are suing BP and the Kenyan government over oil exploration waste from the 1980s that they say has caused a cluster of cancers that have killed hundreds.
Residents and health officials say cancer cases and deaths are on the rise, with more than 500 people reported to have died from cancers that affect the digestive system, especially the esophagus and stomach. Most were from villages where access to medical care is limited.
The rise in cancer is believed to be 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 her she would never be able to speak again.
Today, Chamuset communicates through a small tube placed around his neck, and his voice sounds stilted and machine-made, a reminder of how the disease has affected his life.
Mr Chamuset’s experience mirrors what is happening in the Kargi desert, where deaths are on the rise, including his wife, who died of stomach cancer in 2018.
“Everyone here has the same problems,” says Chamuset. “Many people have died – women, men, young people.
Drilling light
For many years, some of the poor families felt that death was a punishment from God. Finally, the suspicion shifted to something more earthly, to what happened in the desert many years ago.
Between 1986 and 1989, the US oil company Amoco, which was later bought by BP, drilled exploratory wells around the Chalbi desert in search of oil. Migrant workers worked in the area, could not afford to buy, and left. Residents say the company left behind more than empty wells.
At the old drilling site, remnants are still visible: a rusted pipe marked “Amoco Kenya” and small pieces scattered on the ground. Some people in the area remember mistaking the substance for salt and using it to flavor food.
Worowa Bayo, who worked at one of the sites, remembers seeing how waste was handled.
“The workers dug big pits and threw everything in there – even the leftover food,” he says. This usually happened at night, and by morning there was a strong and unpleasant smell, and the whole area was covered.”
He also remembers what happened in 2002, when hundreds of animals died after drinking water from the well. Officials cordoned off the area and took samples. Residents say they were not told what the samples revealed.
A lot of evidence
Independent tests carried out since then have revealed the contamination of local water sources, including the presence of heavy metals. Scientists have not established a definitive link between pollution and cancer, in part because long-term research has been thin.
The medical history speaks volumes. In the early 2000s, local leaders and health workers had already criticized the rising number of cancer patients. Records from Kargi hospitals alone between 2006 and 2009 show several cancer-related deaths, most involving the throat. That medical center, which once served about 6,000 people, is no longer operational.
For Chamuset, the treatment costs about $600 every six months. It is money that they struggle to raise.
Assunta Galgitele, a nurse who started helping cancer patients at the hospital in the mid-2000s, has seen many of them die.
He said: “We want to understand what is causing the disease. “Why has there been so little attention? And we want those responsible to explain what happened here.”
Legal procedures
Galgitele is now part of the criminal justice system. At the Environment and Land Court in Isiolo, 298 plaintiffs sued BP and the Kenyan government, accusing both of failing to protect or eliminate environmental damage. They are seeking a full environmental assessment, access to clean water, and compensation for families affected by livestock damage.
“This is destroying the environment,” said Kelvin Kubai, a lawyer representing them. “When we look at the number of people lost, this case has been silent for years. It needs to be done quickly.”
BP declined Al Jazeera’s request for an interview and has not commented publicly on the matter, although its legal team appeared in court.
Margaret Super, a human rights activist, says the community has spent years trying to raise awareness of what is happening in Kargi.
He said: “This is the first time we will feel that we are being heard.”
This case can take years. In Kargi, new cases continue, and Chamuset still speaks through his pipe.
