Residents of Nakuru County have protested the illegal dumping of lethal medical waste at the Gioto dumpsite.
A visit to the area was met with tonnes of syringes and used blood bags which even ended up on the Nakuru Ravine Road.
The irate residents said the vice was endangering their lives, adding that children in the area might end up playing with the waste and thus contracting serious diseases.
“Syringes have always attracted children and we fear that they might get blood bags, ending up injecting themselves with blood infected from HIV,” said James Wakibia, a human rights activist.
Wakibia wants the officers involved sacked and prosecuted.
He challenged the county to explain the progress on the modern incinerator that was to be constructed in Mai Mahiu.
“Why are we exposing people to such risks? We should come up with a better method of disposing of the waste instead of littering it everywhere,” he added.
Julius Koech, a resident, called on the National Environmental Management Authority to completely shut down the dumpsite.
“It is clear that it is now overflowing with waste, which often end up on the road. They do not have clear mechanisms of dealing with the waste including recycling and hence ends up in our houses,” he added.
Peter Mureithi said the waste must have been from a big hospital as many were dialysis machine wastes.
“We are calling for the immediate investigations of all the hospitals in the area, including the PGH,” he noted.
Contacted on the phone, Nakuru chief of Health Samuel Mwaura promised to launch investigations into the matter.
“We intend to know which hospital is behind the incident and we will charge the people who are behind that,” he added in a phone interview on Monday.