How exposed well pads poison, kill in Turkana

Woefully, the head of the Losinyon family, Eregae Losinyon, 36, and his 11-year-old son, Itira Losinyon, lost their lives.

The family of five in Turkana county took tea leaves believed to contain hazardous chemicals from unprotected well pads (the area that is cleared or prepared for the drilling of one or more horizontal wells). This is one among many such incidents residents battle with frequently.

Gaps in Kenya's environmental analysis, monitoring and enforcement have turned tragic in oil and gas exploring areas, leaving families devastated. Kenya currently lacks a body that processes waste from the oil and gas sector. The closest facility is in Uganda.

Edward Lokol, a community resident activist and a member of the Kenya Oil and Gas Working Group (KOGWG), said such incidents happen “too often” and the community is outraged by them. 

“A similar incident occurred a mere week after the saddening incident of the Losinyon family,” he said.

“At the neighbouring Nakukulas village in Turkana county, two grazing boys aged nine and 11, Echarait Ngikalalio and IKori Ngikalalio, had a near-death experience at the Ngamia 10 well pads.”

Turkana county is a semi-arid area inhabited by pastoralists in Kenya’s Rift Valley. It is known for drought and famine and is located 498km north of Nairobi.

The incident of the Losinyon family happened at the Kodekode village in an oil and gas exploration mining well pad in the Ngamia 11 area. 

The two children were playing when they came across a box of tea leaves in the well pad that is unfenced and unprotected.

They picked up the box and took it to their mother to make some tea. 

The mother received the package but the substance did not look like tea leaves. She said it appeared like pieces of sugar when she opened the box. 

Uncertain of the content, she kept it aside and warned the kids to leave and stay away from its contents.

When it approached evening, the mother decided to make some tea for the family before preparing their dinner. 

The village of Kodekode, like many in Turkana county, struggles with inadequate water supply. Washing hands regularly is a luxury.

The mother quickly used a small portion of water to clean the sufuria, which she then used to make tea for the family.

It was such a sad scene when we saw the family members vomiting blood as we searched for a means to get them to a hospital

MIXING OF CHEMICALS

She was unaware that the chemicals she had touched from the mysterious box got into the sufuria, the water she was using and the tea leaves.

In a short while, the tea was ready, and she served the family.

As tradition in Turkana would have it, men are served first and given large portions of meals, including tea and other drinks.  

The mother gave the man a large thermos and gave the three children a cup each while she took two cups of tea. 

A few minutes after enjoying their evening, they all fell critically ill, vomiting and spitting blood.

Their screams of agony were heard far and wide as residents ran to the homestead.

“It was such a sad scene when we saw the family members vomiting blood as we searched for a means to get them to a hospital," the deceased's brother, Areem Losinyon, said.

"We got more worried when their voices died down as blood continued to come out of their mouths. It seemed they stopped struggling and fighting for life. We feared the worst."

Areem said it was around 5pm when he and some of the neighbours found a private Probox car, which they used to rush the family members to Lokichar Medical Centre.

Medics performed first aid medical attention and later referred the patients to Lodwar Hospital for further treatment.  

The ambulance arrived at 6.45pm. Unfortunately, the elder son, Itira, who was only 11 years old, died as they were transferred to the ambulance. 

The father died on arrival at the Lodwar Hospital a few minutes past 8pm. 

Ewoi, the lastborn son who is two years old, is home with his uncle Losinyon, looking after him.

 “We are praying for a full recovery for the mother and daughter so they can return home,” Areem said.

He said despite reporting the incident to the chief and police, little action had been taken to assist the family beyond recording the statement.

“I had to sell my goats to pay for the treatment of the family members and to bury my brother and his son at the Lodwar public cemetery," he said.

"The area MCA was sympathetic to the tragedy and contributed little money towards the hospital bills.”

There have been no results from the hospital since the autopsy of the two who died was not conducted. Someone needs to pay for the chemical testing, and the family does not have the means.

Areem is now pleading with the national government and the mining companies in Turkana to take better precautions against the many unprotected well pads to prevent such calamities from befalling other families.

SIMILAR TRAGEDY

A week after the first incident at Kodekode, a similar situation was experienced in the neighbouring Nakukulas village in Turkana county.

Two grazing boys aged nine and 11, Echarait Ngikalalio and Ikori Ngikalalio, had a near-death experience at the Ngamia 10 well pads. 

They were grazing when a white substance floating at the well pads caught their attention, and curiosity got the better part of them.

They claimed it looked attractive, so they collected some of it. When they tasted it, it was sweet, and they fed on it.

Lokol the activist narrated what happened next. “In less than an hour of eating the sweet white substance, the boys started to feel weak. One claimed they felt as if they were burning with excessive heat," he said.

"They wanted to vomit, but nothing came out when they tried. They left the herd and rushed to find help from their father, Ngikalalio Josaphat, who, after interrogating his sons, realised that the boys must have consumed poisonous substances."

Lokol said that as first aid, they were given soap mixed with soil and water, forcing them to vomit and neutralise the chemical effects before seeking medical assistance. 

Thankfully the two boys are regaining their health at home but are on medication.

In fear of further harm, the father Josaphat has decided to move the family to Kalemngor, a drier area and a little further from the well pads.  

Lokol is deeply aggrieved by the current waste management predicament, lack of security and lack of fencing of the many well pads in the area. 

It can be very catastrophic if children fall to the bottom of the well pads, which is likely to occur since most well heads are not locked

SEARCH FOR PASTURE

Muturi Kamau, programmes manager of the Community Action for Nature Conservation, says grazing land fields are always scarce because pastoralism is the primary source of income.

Kamau, who is also the coordinator of KOGWG, is an extractive industry expert and has worked with Turkana communities for nearly 10 years.

Due to unclear marked well pad territories, residents are grazing in well pad zones. Ideally, a protected well pad should be fenced and have a functioning gate and a danger sign, cautioning residents against approaching the premise. Also, the well pad drilling head should be covered and locked.

“The effects of animals feeding on grass in mining zones poses a health risk for the animals, especially if waste is not properly handled. There could be traces of hazardous waste on the ground,” Kamau said. 

He said the government mandates the contracting companies to provide security to the well pad zones to avoid health and safety issues, but implementation is lacking. 

“It can be very catastrophic if children fall to the bottom of the well pads, which is likely to occur since most well heads are not locked,” Kamau said.  

Out of the 50 designated drilling oil and gas well pads, 39 were actively ready for mining wells, while 10 were dry. 

These well pads cover vast land areas, and conflicts are inevitable.

As you drive through the villages, High-Density Polythene liners (HDP liners) used as waste management liners are used as house covering. 

Kamau said this is very dangerous since the HDP liners may have been used to cover hazardous waste.

He said the government is responsible for being vigilant in providing security to these well pad zones to protect the residents. 

Unprotected well pads in the mining zones in Turkana county are an environmental hazard and dangerous to the community residents. 

Operations of oil and gas activities pose significant ecological and social impacts related to risks and incidences of oil spills, land degradation, accidents, fire and water and air pollution.

A recent report released on May 31 by KOGWG recommended that the government allocate adequate resources to lead agencies to undertake monitoring per their respective mandates. 

Data needs to be sourced because the efficacy of monitoring depends on good quality baseline data.

The report also emphasised good environmental monitoring planning and coordination of the different mandated institutions.