The Unwavering Faith of Bora Imani: Lessons from Environmental Injustices

This case study by Natural Justice examines the environmental and social impacts of quarrying activities by H-Young, an engineering company, in the Bora Imani community of Kilifi County, Kenya. It details how the project, intended for the tarmacking of the Malindi-Lamu road, led to the destruction of critical water sources, health crises due to lack of sanitation, and pollution, ultimately highlighting the failure of project-specific remedies and the need for robust decommissioning and climate-aware Environmental Impact Assessments.

• Quarrying activities by H-Young in the ADU ward of Magarini Sub County caused significant environmental and health degradation, contradicting the poverty alleviation promises of the project's Environmental Impact Assessment. The company destroyed the community's main water pan by filling it with "sand and debris," and the absence of sanitary facilities for employees led to contaminated runoff and cases of cholera.
• The Bora Imani community suffered from severe water insecurity exacerbated by both climate shocks and industrial activity. Prior to the project, the community relied on shallow water pans that lasted only three months, forcing travel of "approximately 12 kilometers" to Marereni town. This vulnerability was heightened by a lack of short rains in Kilifi County between 2016 and 2017.
• Administrative interventions by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Public Health Office provided temporary relief but failed to create sustainable solutions. NEMA issued a "cessation order" and mandated the company to provide a water bowser truck every Tuesday and Thursday. However, these remedies were project-dependent and collapsed when the company shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually decommissioned the quarry in February 2023.
• The case study identifies four critical lessons for future environmental justice engagements: the importance of community awareness of legal rights, the need for inclusive and sustainable remedies rather than project-specific ones, the requirement for proper restoration plans during decommissioning to address "open pits, fencing, and aesthetic degradation," and the need for Environmental Impact Assessments to better incorporate climate adaptive and mitigative measures.

APA

Muiruri, S. (2023). The Unwavering Faith of Bora Imani: Lessons from Environmental Injustices. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/the-unwavering-faith-of-bora-imani-lessons-from-environmental-injustices/

Chicago

Muiruri, Salome. The Unwavering Faith of Bora Imani: Lessons from Environmental Injustices. Natural Justice, 2023. https://naturaljustice.org/the-unwavering-faith-of-bora-imani-lessons-from-environmental-injustices/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Muiruri |first1=Salome |title=The Unwavering Faith of Bora Imani: Lessons from Environmental Injustices |publisher=Natural Justice |date=19 June 2023 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/the-unwavering-faith-of-bora-imani-lessons-from-environmental-injustices/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{muiruri2023unwavering, author = {Muiruri, Salome}, title = {{The Unwavering Faith of Bora Imani: Lessons from Environmental Injustices}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/the-unwavering-faith-of-bora-imani-lessons-from-environmental-injustices/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }