Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has been ordered to serve a six-month jail term over contempt of court.
According to Justice Antony Omwayo of the Environment and Land division, Governor Kihika and Nakuru Water and Sanitation Services Company Chief Executive Officer failed to comply to previous orders issued on September 26 last year, directing them to cease the unlawful disposal.
In the earlier ruling, the court permanently banned the governor and the CEO from disposing of waste in the Lake Nakuru Basin
A petition had been filed by Baboon Project Kenya, a non-governmental organization(NGO), asking the court to grant the contempt orders.
”Susan Kihika being the Governor, officer, agent or servant of 1st respondent (County Government of Nakuru) be committed to prison for a term not exceeding 6 months for failing to comply with the order of this court made on 26th September 2024,” read the application by the NGO in part.
The petitioners further argued that the county government’s actions continued to harm wildlife and the environment.
They further outlined that the illegal disposal of industrial waste into the lake was severely damaging the Lake Nakuru National Park and endangering species like baboons, which drink from its waters.
The county government, the water and sanitation company, and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) were accused of neglecting their constitutional duties by permitting the unlawful discharge of toxic industrial waste into Lake Nakuru.
The petitioner also launched a digital signature collection campaign to hold the county accountable for the pollution, highlighting that the lake holds significant international conservation value as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) World Heritage Site and a Ramsar site.
“We, the Baboon Project Kenya (BPK), are deeply concerned about the ongoing pollution of Lake Nakuru National Park due to sewerage discharge from the County Government of Nakuru. This park is not just a place of beauty and natural wonder, it is a sanctuary for critically endangered Rhinos and an important bird area. It holds high international conservation status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar site,” read part of the online petition.