The government has directed a nationwide asbestos removal initiative from all public and private facilities in a bid to mitigate the health risks associated with its exposure.
- The directive, which was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday, will see property owners bear the cost of removal under the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle.
- In a cabinet dispatch, the government expects that this would reduce future disease burden, cut healthcare costs and enhance environmental safety.
- Exposure to asbestos is linked to severe health conditions, including cancer of lung, larynx, ovaries and mesothelioma – a cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart.
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) will oversee the safe removal, disposal, and handling of asbestos with County governments urged to establish designated disposal sites.
Asbestos was extensively used in Kenya’s construction industry in the 1960s and 1970s, remaining in government buildings, hospitals, schools, and even water supply systems. It was deployed not just for roofing but also for ceiling boards, shingles, fire doors, and floor tiles.
While asbestos are harmless when left intact, deterioration due to time or damage releases fibres into the air that increase the risk of associated diseases.
When the government banned the material in 2006, it cited budgetary challenges in implementing the removal of existing installations with the material. NEMA developed guidelines for the safe management and disposal of asbestos in 2011, which were later revised in 2013.
In 2016, NEMA directed the removal of worn out, broken and dilapidated asbestos roofs. Due to the associated risks, the roofs must be disposed into licensed landfills. In August 2024, Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale ordered the removal of asbestos roofs from all buildings in the country within three months. The new cabinet order indicates that the previous order was not fully implemented as it did not adequately define disposal methods.
As of 2024, Nairobi County had the highest number of asbestos fitted facilities totaling 92, Meru (45), Machakos (34), Embu (32), Busia (26), Kitui (21), Kakamega (19), Kisumu (19), Tharaka Nithi (16) and Bungoma (13).
