Chaos erupted at a meeting organised by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) on Wednesday, April 2, after a middle-aged woman stormed in and berated the staff over failing to adhere to a Supreme Court order on the Ksh2 billion compensation of the Owino-Uhuru settlement residents in Mombasa for lead poisoning.
In videos seen by Kenyans.co.ke, a middle-aged woman was seen accusing the NEMA staff of reportedly claiming she had been inciting the community against them.
In a heated confrontation, the woman dared whoever made those remarks to identify themselves and schools the authority that they had failed to follow the court order.
Reportedly, the meeting was held to discuss a compensation order directed by the Supreme Court on December 6, 2024, and the authority had been mandated with streamlining the process.
"I have been told that you are claiming I am inciting the community. I want the person who said that to stand up and identify themselves," she stated.
"The court gave you three months to file. Your time ended on March 6. I want you to show me where I have incited the community. You are weaponising the police and the assistant commissioner against me. How did I incite the community?"
Following the disruption, several staff members who were seated in the hall started streaming outside, where police officers were posted.
The Supreme Court ruling on December 6, 2024, upheld the verdict by the Environment and Land Court (ELC) awarding Ksh2 billion to residents of Owino Uhuru slums in Changamwe, Mombasa County, as damages for lead poisoning.
An initial ruling by the ELC had awarded the victims Ksh1.3 billion, but the Supreme Court ordered an extra Ksh700 million for environmental restoration and called for a reassessment of compensation for loss of life and personal injury.
This followed a petition by the Exports Processing Zone Authority (EPZA) and the residents who had suffered the pollution caused by lead residue from the lead-acid battery recycling plant that had reportedly started operations in 2006.
NEMA was subsequently tasked with identifying the extent of contamination and pollution caused by the operations at the Owino-Uhuru Settlement and restoring the area's ecosystem.
The authority was thus instructed to report every three months to the ELC in Mombasa on the progress of the restoration efforts.
