The Water Resource Authority has said Kiboko River water is unfit for human and livestock consumption.
A study carried out by the authority at Central Water Testing Laboratory in Industrial area, Nairobi, showed the water has high levels of grease and oil.
"We want to notify users of Kiboko river section between Kiboko springs and Standard Gauge Railway that the water is currently contaminated with hydrocarbons and therefore unfit for human consumption and livestock" WRA Middle -Athi subregional Manager Stephen Ngao said.
This follows a oil spillage that hit Kiboko natural springs along the newly Constructed Sh48 billion Mombasa-Nairobi Oil Pipeline on March 30.
Kenya Pipeline Company has, however, disputed the results arguing that it had also conducted it's independent chemical and toxicological analysis of the water quality which showed no contamination.
According to Beatrice Oguti, the company’s Safety, Environment and Quality Assurance manager they carried out their test on Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (PTH) and other components such as ethylene and Benzene but all samples passed the quality standards tests.
There was a standoff in a meeting called last Friday bringing together officials from Makueni county government, locals, Kenya Pipeline Company, WRA) and National Environment and Management Authority.
This was after the two government entities — KPC and WRA — supported by the locals clashed, with each pulling on their side.
At one point, KPC officials walked out of the meeting in protest arguing that purported contamination might not have been caused by the oil leak but excretions from animals and plants which also has components of hydrocarbons.
The meeting resolved to have Nema secure five accredited laboratories where through consensus, parties will agree on three that will conduct sampling and do tests this week.
“We will have joint sampling done where Nema will identify five accredited laboratories and from there KPC, the county government and WRA will agree on three labs that will be mandated with sampling process and conducting the tests on presence of lead, grease, oil, TPH and other components such as ethylene and benzene,” Water, Environment and Sanitation executive Robert Kisyula said.
Wilson Munguti, Kiboko Water Resource Users Association chairperson accused KPC for failing to accept liability and trying to cover up the contamination.
“KPC doesn’t want to own the burden and it’s evident that about an acre in the water zone is contaminated with oil floating on four-feet deep trenches they have dug,”Munguti said.
Despite the leakage having occurred about a month ago, a visit by the Star on Tuesday found trenches dug away from the oil spill point were full of oil, raising queries on how much oil leaked.
The excavators are advancing downwards along the 18km wetland and it remains unclear where they will stop their works.
In trenches advancing towards Mombasa-Nairobi highway, petrol floats on water as reported by the Water authority while other dugouts near the ruptured pipe have diesel as opposed to earlier communication by KPC that the only petroleum component that had leaked was diesel.
About 10,000 locals who benefit from Kanaani water project, which pumps water from Kiboko River, area institutions such as St Ann’s Girls School, Kiboko Primary School, and Kenya Agricultural Research and livestock Organization (KARLO) have to look for alternative water sources due to the precautionary notice issued by WRA.
In addition, the spillage will hold hostage irrigation farming by small scale farmers who depend on the river.
