REJECT exploitation of Coal in Mwingi, MP Kasalu says

 Kitui County MP Dr Irene Kasalu has said that she won’t allow exploitation of Coal in the region. 

The Woman Representative who holds PhD in Mathematics urged residents of the larger Mwingi region to reject any move by leaders who want to arm-twist them into accepting the mining of coal.

“Let the government of Kenya pursue alternative sources of renewable and sustainable energy”, said MP Kasalu.

She spoke during the burial of Mr David Muthangya Mavuli at Ngiluni village in Mui ward, Mwingi Central sub county. Mavuli who was anti-coal activist.

Kasalu said she won’t allow people exhume and relocate the remains of Mwingi ancestors for financial gains.

Other leaders who attended the burial were Mwingi Central MP Dr Gideon Mulyungi, former Kitui Senator David Musila and Mui MCA Jacob Mbaya Kavolonza.

In August this year, former Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga said that Kitui Coal mining was a disaster in the making.

Displaced

Mutunga said that about 100,000 people or more that 30,000 households will be displaced to make way for the Coal mining.

Coal mining will pollute the environment given an open-cast mining method is likely to be used. “Open cast mining will cause pollution, disrupt the area’s fragile ecosystem, contaminate groundwater and cause unprecedented harm to local flora and fauna.”, wrote Mutunga in an article he co-authored with Omar Elmawi in The Elephant website.

Leaders are also worried about the health implications of mining coal in Mui Basin. The mining is likely to cause Silicosis disease which is a lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust.

Miners will be exposed to inhaling coal dust and carbon that causes black lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension and kidney diseases.

The huge coal deposits in Mui covers an area of 500 square kilometres. China’s Fenxi Mining Group was selected by Kenya government in 2011 to explore coal mining in Mui Coal Basin which is subdivided into four blocks A, B, C and D measuring 121.5, 117.5, 131.5 and 120 square kilometres respectively.

STORY By MUSYOKA NGUI, EDITED By BONIFACE MWANIKI