Voi — The County Government of Taita Taveta has launched investigations into the illegal dumping of hazardous medical waste in Voi River, vowing tough action against individuals or institutions found culpable.

This comes after Public Health officers recovered a range of improperly discarded medical items including syringes, plastic pipettes, used malaria diagnostic kits, butterfly needles, and various types of vacutainers and glass slides--waste deemed highly infectious and a public health risk.

In a public notice issued on April 30, the Department of Health Services condemned the reckless disposal, warning that improper discarding of such waste could lead to outbreaks of deadly diseases such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS, as well as serious environmental contamination.

"This is not just a public health threat, it is a blatant violation of Kenyan law," the department stated.

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The Health Department cited key legal provisions under the Public Health Act (Cap. 242) and the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA), No. 8 of 1999, both of which prohibit unsafe disposal of waste into the environment.

The penalties for offenders are severe: under the Public Health Act, violators may face fines and/or imprisonment, while EMCA violations can attract fines of up to Sh2 million or five years in jail--or both.

Health officials confirmed that the recovered materials were collected for safe disposal and incineration as investigators work to identify the source of the waste.

The Health Department urged all medical institutions and clinics to adhere strictly to waste management regulations and called on the public to report suspicious dumping to local health offices or the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).