Centre for Environment Justice and Development

About us

Centre for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD),is a registered public interest Non-Governmental Organization in Kenya. CEJAD works to promote sound management of chemicals and waste in order to protect the natural environment and wellbeing of the Kenyan people, especially vulnerable populations. CEJAD’s work covers five themes:

The NGO undertakes advocacy programs that seek to eliminate human and environmental exposure to toxic chemicals and plastic waste. In particular, the NGO advocates for policy reforms and alternative practices that can help reduce or eliminate: 

The use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Kenya.
Mercury is atoxic chemical associated with long-term neurological ailments. It is used in small-scale gold mining in Kenya to recover gold from the ore. Despite being prohibited by law and with known adverse health effects on the environment and human health, especially women and children, Some 10,000 women accompanied by their infants and babies continue to unsafely use mercury to recover gold in order to survive and escape poverty. In addition, gold mining sites in Kenya are located in the western regions that surround Lake Victoria, which is a source of fish for significant populations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Mercury bio-accumulates in fish and thus is known to be ingested by humans and other aquartic life forms when they feed on the fish. Continued use of mercury in Kenya’s ASGM thus puts significant health risk on human populations in the three countries, especially women and children. CEJAD works with 8 groups of miners including 6 women groups (5,000 in total) to educate them on dangers of using mercury and opportunities for safer alternatives. At the international level, mercury use in ASGM is banned under the Minamata Convention on Trade and Use of Mercury. Kenya is a signatory to the convention and thus CEJAD’s project supports this global action.