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Kitengela Residents Protest Over Increased Dust
- By DERRICK OKUBASU on 13 January 2022 - 8:56 am
A dust storm envelopes Nairobi on October 1, 2019.
FILE
- Residents of Kitengela in Kajiado County took to the streets to protest increased dust in the peripheral township.
In the demonstrations that kicked off on Tuesday, January 11, the residents revealed that they were fed up with years of dust.
Speaking to the press, the affected individuals claimed that the extreme dust was being caused by a contractor on the Namanga Road who uses Murram in his repairs.
They argued that the contractor has been carrying out the repairs for months and the dust had affected all aspects of their living standards.
A file image of Kitengela Town
DAILY NATION
In a clip seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the protesters were seen lighting bonfires along the road and hindered transport activities for hours.
The demonstrations spilled over to Wednesday, January 12.
One of the residents noted that his water supply business was hit hard due to the dust that has bedeviled the neighbourhood for years.
"Every day when we sell water, we tell our customers that the water is fresh but the jerrycan is filled with dust. We demand one thing from this area's MCA, please consider us. Parents always take their children to hospital due to the dust," he stated.
A boda boda rider corroborated the statement arguing that the authorities had covered the road with murram a record three times instead of building a tarmac.
"We decline this because the murram has been added on the road three time now, They should have combine the money and built a tarmac," he lamented.
In June 2021, the resident also held protests after they were exposed to chest problems following increased quarrying activities in the area.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), which is part of the US government, the global proportional mortality from respiratory diseases is 20 per cent.
In Kenya, 76 people die of respiratory infections and tuberculosis per every 100,000 deaths as per data pulled from 2019.
Protesters teargassed during a past demonstration
FILE
