Asbestos, the deadly fibre: Is this the reason of rising cancer cases in Meru County

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]removal of asbestos in all public and private infrastructure across the country. It appears little to no effort has been made to implement this directive. Our reporter, Elizabeth Ateno, is back from Meru County where some public institutions, including schools, are still made of asbestos, risking the lives of thousands of learners, and now presents asbestos, the deadly fiber.

[00:00:28]Kenya, the cradle of mankind.

[00:00:32]The vibrant high-energy urban life of Kenyan cities captures the pulse of the country, busting it to life.

[00:00:43]But, hidden in homes and communities across the country lies a deadly fiber, asbestos.

[00:00:51]The impact of this diabolic element cuts deeper, killing about 255,000 people every year in the world.

[00:01:02]This dangerous fiber pollutes land, air, and water, thereby causing respiratory diseases and cancer, threatening the existence of mankind.

[00:01:15]According to the Ministry of Environment, by 2025, the country held 30,000 tons of asbestos with 21,604 tons found in government facilities and 8,467 tons found in the private sector.

[00:01:34]The top five ministries in the public sector still using asbestos include the National Treasury, Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health, among other government offices.

[00:01:51]Asbestos was widely used in the country between 1960 and 1970, leading to its ban in 2006. But, it emerged that many buildings were and still are made of asbestos.

[00:02:07]11th of March, 2025, President William Ruto and the cabinet ordered for the nationwide removal of asbestos. But, has anything changed a year since the presidential directive?

[00:02:22]We embark on a fact-finding mission where we cruise up through the eastern side of the Mount Kenya ring to Meru County, a verdant jewel nestled under the gaze of Mount Kenya.

[00:02:36]Meru is a land where the earth breathes life. It is indeed the land of prosperity.

[00:02:44]This county is home to 1.3 million people, some of whom are now at risk of cancer exposure due to asbestos.

[00:02:56]This is the postal office in Meru town.

[00:02:58]The roof is made of asbestos. This is not the only government infrastructure made of asbestos.

[00:03:09]We spot yet another building within the premises of the National Administration Police Service Station, still engulfed in asbestos roof.

[00:03:20]This house that stands tall right between the sprawling banana plantations is also made of asbestos.

[00:03:29]Even the swaying banana leaves cannot hide the eminent danger that lies in this homestead.

[00:03:37]A 2024 study by the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization revealed that there is scientific evidence linking asbestos to different types of cancer, including stomach, lung, and prostate cancers. The study further revealed that over 200,000 cancer-related deaths reported globally every year are linked to occupational exposure to asbestos.

[00:04:03]Meru County is one of the leading counties when it comes to cancer prevalence in Kenya. Some buildings in this county are still made of asbestos, which some residents and even researchers argue could be the reason behind the rising cancer cases right here in Meru.

[00:04:21]Just to get the gist of the impact of asbestos on the health of the people in Meru, we embark on a 50 km journey from Meru town to Igembe South constituency.

[00:04:36]This is a Mwamba Comprehensive School, a center of excellence that has been in existence for 77 years now.

[00:04:45]Here, we meet Kamui Kithinji, the school principal.

[00:04:50]Kamui takes us through this block with five classrooms, which houses a total of 249 grade one and grade two learners. These young learners are now exposed to the danger of asbestos. The roof is not the only structure with asbestos, but also the walls. This means that they are directly inhaling the dangerous fiber.

[00:05:17]The level of exposure is almost 90% to the cancer.

[00:05:22]Because now, every day they are there.

[00:05:25]That's where they learn, the teachers are there.

[00:05:27]The issue of asbestos here, for example, during the rainy season like now, we have the runoff water from the from the iron sheets.

[00:05:38]And this runoff water goes directly to the main river, which is here. We have a very big river here.

[00:05:44]The main river called the Ura River, which emanates from the Nyambene Hills and goes all the way downstream to join the main Tana River up to Indian Ocean.

[00:05:56]Over the years, a section of the school has been renovated with new classrooms built with modern iron sheets. But this does not erase the fact that some young learners just a few meters from this new block are suffocating in silence, quite literally. And this school poses a potential health risk in future.

[00:06:18]2023, April.

[00:06:21]The government promised to give us some money so that at least we could remove the asbestos and build new glasses.

[00:06:33]We were promised 5 million to do that exercise.

[00:06:39]But fortunately, that money has not reached us. Even if we remove these asbestos, where we going to have to take the the learners?

[00:06:49]So also we require new classrooms, five new classrooms. And now give way to NEMA because also we cannot be we cannot remove on our own, which also comes with a cost.

[00:07:00]They gave us a bill of around 2.4 million to remove. That is 3 years ago.

[00:07:08]From Mwamba Comprehensive School, we head to Kilalai Primary School. This school is a fragile sign of resilience.

[00:07:16]An almost similar situation is witnessed here.

[00:07:20]to sub Mr. Israel Logedore who PTA Sarotani to Mwambotesa PTA wetu pia kupitia Sarotani Mr. Abed Getonga kuna baba yetu hapa Henry Ngwende pia tumempotesa kupitia ugonjwa Sarotani tukiangalia pande ya chini hapa tulipo saizi pande yangu ya kulia pia tumempotesa mama yetu tumemzika juzi Margaret >> Uh to the right of the asbestos building, it's our special class.

[00:08:03]Special needs class. And these are learners who need to be controlled every now and then. And you know, when they get close to the building, it gives them a lot of exposure to these cancerous emissions. Down here on this end uh to the other side of the class, we have the grade 1, 2, 3, and 4. These are also learners who are out to explore the environment around here. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is extracted from mines. Its fibrous nature and resistance to heat, electricity, and corrosion made it valuable for many products such as ceiling insulation, flooring, and roofing. As the use of asbestos increased, so did the number of diseases and more so cancer. When inhaled in the lungs, so the body is unable to break those fibers. They are too microscopic.

[00:09:07]So, when those fibers get into the body, they can cause a lot of damage from the hearts, lungs, and that has resultant to most lung cancers which have been experienced mostly in this community of Kilalai. We know the causality or the probability or the risk towards causing cancer uh are high based on either the consumption if you're using water from them or you're using the actual asbestos on day-to-day or frequently in terms of maybe roofing material and many other compounds that are made.

[00:09:53]Just to get a clear picture of the grim situation of cancer here in Gambe South where the affected schools are located we cruise through the mist-infested lush green vegetation and sloppy terrain.

[00:10:10]Amidst this stunning landscape, a silent crisis unfolds in Riat village, popularly known as the cancer village.

[00:10:19]Almost every household has lost a loved one to cancer. Death is a weekly event here. So dire is the situation that as we were traversing the village, we came across a funeral proceeding. Even the heavy downpour could not stop the villagers from granting their loved one who succumbed to brain cancer a befitting send-off. They are turning that grief into resistance.

[00:11:18]The villagers in Riat may have lost fathers, mothers, children, and friends, but not their will to live and endure.

[00:11:26]In their voices lies the memory of a village still carrying the same burden, the fear of cancer. By even mentioning the the word cancer now, is sending cold shivers in our bodies.

[00:11:42]In a month, we have a around two to three burials occasioned by the cancer.

[00:11:47]After exposure to asbestos, one does not fall ill immediately. In fact, it may take decades for the disease to manifest due to the prolonged stay of fibers in the lungs. The ability to cause cancer for asbestos can range from 30 to 40 years. We have robust programs to educate the public on the risk factors, asbestos being one of them.

[00:12:15]Peru is not the only county affected.

[00:12:18]Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, Mombasa, and many other counties still host buildings with asbestos.

[00:12:26]>> We are going to sit as a committee together with Minister of Health and make a recommendation that the ministry considers putting a conditional grant to remove all the asbestos once and for all.

[00:12:39]And dispose from all the hospital facilities, because we cannot say that we are fighting cancer and we are keeping cancer-causing agents within our facilities. The National Environment Management Authority, NEMA, has been tasked to oversee the removal process to ensure proper handling, disposal, and compliance to environmental regulations. According to NEMA, before commencing the removal of asbestos, the owner or operator of the premises containing asbestos must first identify a disposal site for the asbestos. After that, the operator should engage a licensed environmental assessment expert to carry out an environmental impact assessment, EIA, for the removal, handling, and disposal of asbestos and submit the report to NEMA for review and decision-making.

[00:13:35]After disposal, the client should maintain a copy of the EIA license that permitted the removal, handling, and disposal of asbestos.

[00:13:46]As of March 2026, Kenya has a total of 18 licensed asbestos landfills or disposal sites.

[00:13:55]The moment you dispose them in the open ground, obviously they'll continue being broken. Fibers will continue being released and more harm will continue being upon the people, the masses that are around these particular areas. So, you you basically have to engage NEMA.

[00:14:12]Globally, asbestos is still used in at least 30 countries, including Kenya, India, China, Indonesia, and Russia are the lead users of asbestos in the world.

[00:14:25]Once these fibers go into your lungs or into your tissues, they align themselves within the fiber, I mean the the alveoli sacs.

[00:14:36]And once they align themselves in the alveoli sacs, they are not degradable inside the body.

[00:14:42]So, the body will treat them as a foreign uh object.

[00:14:47]For communities affected, they are trying to live with asbestos as best as they can. Some are fully aware of the danger this element presents, while some are hoping for prompt intervention from the respective authorities, but one fact remains.

[00:15:08]The clock is ticking fast, and the government should move with absolute speed to save the lives of millions of Kenyans at risk of acquiring cancer and respiratory diseases due to the toxic exposure to asbestos.

[00:15:24]Elizabeth Atieno, TV 47.