BP faces toxic waste lawsuit as Kenya community links 1980s oil drilling to cancer cases

For Maisan Daballen, a 60-year-old father of five from Kargi in northern Kenya, the alleged effects of oil exploration activities carried out in the 1980s have had a lasting impact on his life after he was diagnosed with throat cancer, leaving him dependent on a breathing tube and unable to work.

"About eight years ago, I got a lump on my cheek which over time grew painful and made breathing difficult," Daballen shared. "When asleep, I would wake up with severe headaches, and when I sought medical help, I was diagnosed with throat cancer."

Daballen is among residents of Kargi and nearby Kalacha who have accused Amoco Corporation, now part of BP, of causing long-term health and environmental damage through alleged toxic waste disposal linked to oil exploration activities in the Chalbi Desert during the late 1980s.

Community members said toxic waste from the operations contaminated groundwater sources, leading to livestock deaths, rising cancer cases and the displacement of families decades after drilling activities ended.

Earlier this month, the Environment and Land Court in Isiolo ruled that a class action lawsuit filed against BP by residents from the two communities could proceed to a full hearing. BP has not commented on the case and the court ruling does not establish liability.

Amoco Corporation carried out exploration activities in the area before it was acquired by BP in 1998.

Former labourer Orowa Bayo said he briefly worked on road construction leading to the exploration site, where he alleges he witnessed excavators burying "toxic waste".

Bayo and other villagers said they later relocated after what they described as an increase in cancer-related deaths, which they attribute to contaminated water sources, although no official study has confirmed a link to the nearby exploration site. Residents say at least seven community members have died from cancer-related illnesses.

"At first, we lost our livestock. Years later, we started witnessing people die from throat and stomach cancer," Bayo explained.

He said fear and anxiety now dominate daily life within the community.

"Today, if anyone has an ailment for more than two weeks, stress and anxiety levels shoot up, thinking it's cancer."

Residents are calling for environmental assessments, medical support and a clean-up of the affected area.

"Those responsible for dumping toxins must know what to do in order to clean the site," Bayo said. "We ask that the government come to our aid so that we can live like we used to live before."

Villagers said water from shallow hand-dug wells is no longer considered safe for drinking and is now mainly used for washing, forcing women and children to travel long distances to access deeper machine-drilled boreholes.

"My appeal to the government and all other stakeholders is to come and clean up this mess so that we can live like other Kenyans," Daballen said, adding, "Today, we do not feel like we are in Kenya."

The case involves 299 people who allege that Amoco Corporation improperly disposed of hazardous and toxic waste contaminants during oil exploration activities in the Chalbi Desert.