The High Court in Kenya ruled Thursday that a class action lawsuit against multinational oil and gas company BP, alleging decades-long toxic waste disposal that contaminated drinking water in northern Kenya, can go ahead. The lawsuit, filed by 299 petitioners in February at the Land and Environment Court in Isiolo, alleged that BP caused serious environmental pollution by improperly disposing of and discharging toxic waste from oil exploration activities in parts of northern Kenya. It claimed that the waste, which contained radioactive materials, contaminated ground water and sickened or killed hundreds of residents and livestock nearby. “During operations at the sites, hazardous and toxic contaminants were improperly disposed, discharged and released into the environment,” said the petition.

Full report : BP sued in Kenya over alleged toxic waste from 1980s oil exploration.