Democracy work: Community's push for regulatory compliance

In Isiolo, Kenya, Natural Justice and the community organization Vision of Hope successfully lobbied the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and the Isiolo county public health office to address a slaughterhouse causing severe odor and pollution. By utilizing access to information requests and formal complaints based on the Environmental Management and Coordination Act and the Public Health Act, the group secured a closure notice for the facility in July, demonstrating the potential for regulatory institutions to hold businesses and government accountable.

• A slaughterhouse in Isiolo town caused significant environmental and health issues for approximately 1,000 residents in neighborhoods including Camp Odha, Camp Bule, and Camp Garba, characterized by a strong stench, open drains clogged with bowel waste, blood, and meat, and a sewage waste lagoon.
• Investigations using access to information requests revealed that the slaughterhouse was operating without an environmental license and had not undergone environmental audits, violating the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA) and the oversight requirements of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).
• Community members and Natural Justice filed a complaint with the Isiolo county public health office, arguing that the slaughterhouse's odor constituted a public nuisance under section 118 of the Public Health Act and requesting an abatement notice under section 116.
• Following seven months of lobbying and follow-ups, a public health officer inspected the facility and issued a closure notice in July, shortly before Kenya's general election, despite potential political sensitivities regarding the pastoralist population and influential bureaucrats.

APA

Abraham, D. (2017). Democracy work: Community's push for regulatory compliance. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/democracy-work-communitys-push-regulatory-compliance/

Chicago

Abraham, Dalle. Democracy work: Community's push for regulatory compliance. Natural Justice, 2017. https://naturaljustice.org/democracy-work-communitys-push-regulatory-compliance/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Abraham |first1=Dalle |title=Democracy work: Community's push for regulatory compliance |publisher=Natural Justice |date=10 November 2017 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/democracy-work-communitys-push-regulatory-compliance/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{abraham2017democracy, author = {Abraham, Dalle}, title = {{Democracy work: Community's push for regulatory compliance}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/democracy-work-communitys-push-regulatory-compliance/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }