Governor Mutua cracks the whip on Athi River polluters
Chinese managers in an Athi River factory were on Tuesday arrested in an ongoing crackdown targeting river polluters.
Machakos governor Alfred Mutua, who led the crackdown, said the arrest warrants have remained unimplemented since March due to compromised officers.
Walker Industries was shut down for discharging raw sewage into Athi River and its managers, most of them Chinese arrested.
Mutua gave a 30 days’ notice to other companies to comply with the government directives failure to which they will also be shut down.
There are many residential gated communities that are also dumping their toilet sewage into the river so that children downstream drink it and get sick. pic.twitter.com/urKaJYqMho
— Dr. Alfred Mutua (@DrAlfredMutua) April 30, 2019
DEMOLITION
“Some have even defied court orders and when challenged they say ‘wanajua wakubwa.’ Today we have proven that Wananchi, the innocent children, youth, mothers and fathers of our country are the Wakubwa. Their rights and health has to be protected & assured by governments that care,” he wrote.
Athi River neighbourhood has in the past been accused of blatant breaching of environmental laws with factories and residents discharging raw sewage.
To the gated communities in the area, Mutua gave 45 days’ notice to comply or risk demolition.
“After that, we will have no option but to arrest all the adult residents of these residential compounds and to evacuate the houses in readiness for demolition. We must all live and act in a responsible manner, caring about the welfare of all of us,” he wrote.