Garissa governor sounds alarm on cancer surge, links it to alleged nuclear waste dumping

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Environment on Tuesday, Governor Jama said that 2,437 cancer cases have been recorded since 2023 - 440 (2023), 1,347 (2024) and 650 as of June, 2025.

He said that the cases are mostly recorded in the rural areas, throat cancer being the most common. 

The Governor therefore demanded an expeditious probe to apprehend those involved in the alleged activity that has affected communities in the region.

"We hope that this time the committee will conduct proper investigations to bring out the truth. It will be a shame if this matter is not carried out with the speed that is required," he said.

Echoing Governor Jama's sentiments, Wajir South Member of Parliament (MP) Mohammed Adow said that the nuclear material was buried deep in the ground in shipping containers.

"When you talk to eyewitnesses, people who worked for these companies that were doing the dumping, they will tell you that they were made to dig from Monday to Friday. The material was housed in metal containers like the ones you use to ship. They were buried deep in the ground," he said.

MP Adow added that a probe is not enough, calling for a clean-up of the region to excavate the waste and protect residents from the harmful substances.

"What we have in the North Eastern regions in places such as Marsabit is a crime, a need to be the people need to be given confidence that those in authority are responsible enough to refuse the irresponsibility done in those past years," MP Adow noted.

In 2024, former Cabinet Minister Cyrus Jirongo told Lawyer PLO Lumumba during a self-styled interview, that the government of the late Second President Daniel Arap Moi had okayed the dumping of toxic nuclear waste in parts of Kenya's Northeastern region, mostly in Garissa and Wajir counties.

The former minister narrated how he allegedly came across official government documents containing information on the alleged dumping of the toxic waste. 

The documents, he said, were shown to him by a well-connected lawyer with strong ties with the political power center.

The matter has remained a bone of contention between the region's leaders and the government, as they call for justice on the dire matter.