US Issues Warning for Citizens to Avoid Section of Kenyan Highway Following Toxic Sodium Cyanide Spill.

The United States has advised its citizens to avoid Highway A104 in the Kambembe area of Rironi, Kiambu County, due to a dangerous sodium cyanide spill caused by an overturned truck. The incident on Saturday has raised significant safety concerns because of the chemical's extreme toxicity.

The US embassy recommends its citizens use Limuru Road as an alternative route, avoid Westlands (Waiyaki Way) and the Narok junction (B3), and stay updated through local media on the situation's safety. In a statement issued on Saturday following the truck accident, the Ministry of Health warned that sodium cyanide is highly toxic and can be fatal in small amounts if ingested or inhaled.

The Ministry of Health's advisory lists exposure symptoms including headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting, with severe cases potentially leading to loss of consciousness and convulsions within minutes. Prolonged exposure can cause long-term health issues such as neurological damage, thyroid dysfunction, and cardiovascular problems.

Kiambu County officials have appealed to Rironi residents who may have taken chemical jerricans from the accident site to return them immediately. During a sensitization drive on Sunday in the villages of Kamandura and Rironi, Ministry of Health officials discovered a hidden tank of the chemical at a residential house.

Rironi area chief Charles Kariuki urged locals to return any containers they might have taken, assuring them they would face no repercussions. "If you carried any of the chemicals away, kindly know that it is very dangerous. Return it for your own safety; no one will face any consequences for returning the chemical," Kariuki told Citizen.Digital.

The shipment of sodium cyanide, en route to Congo from the Mombasa port, poses significant environmental hazards as well. According to the Ministry of Health, the chemical can devastate aquatic ecosystems, causing extensive fish kills and long-term damage if it enters waterways. Although sodium cyanide degrades over time, its immediate impact is severe, necessitating urgent response measures.

Sodium cyanide is widely used in industrial processes, including gold mining, chemical production, electroplating, organic synthesis for pharmaceuticals, and metal cleaning.