A group of 298 petitioners from remote villages of Marsabit County in northern Kenya is suing BP and the Kenyan government over oil exploration waste from the 1980s that it says is causing a cancer cluster that has killed hundreds.Residents and local health workers say cancer cases and deaths have risen steadily, with more than 500 people reported dead from cancers affecting the digestive system, particularly the oesophagus and stomach. Many were from villages where access to medical care remains limited.They believe rising cancer cases are linked to toxic waste left behind during oil exploration in the 1980s.Six years ago, doctors diagnosed Maisan Chamuset, 74, with throat cancer and told him he might never speak normally again.Today, Chamuset communicates through a small pipe inserted in his throat, and his voice comes out strained and mechanical, a reminder of the effect the disease had on his life.Chamuset’s experience reflects a growing trend in the desert settlement of Kargi, where death tolls are on the rise, including his wife, who died of stomach cancer in 2018.“Everyone here has similar problems,” Chamuset says. “Many people have died — women, men, young people. Those responsible should be held to account.”Glare on drillingFor years, some of the suffering families perceived the deaths as divine punishment. Suspicion …
