An environmental watchdog in Mombasa has raised alarm over what it believes could be a public health disaster in the making, linking a spate of mysterious deaths in Migadini to the unregulated reuse of glass bottles by beverage manufacturers.

The Genesis for Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has urged the Ministry of Health to move swiftly, warning that the deaths of four residents in Matangini village between July 9 and 14 may be tied to unsafe bottling practices.

“Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of what we feared the deadly consequences of unregulated bottle refilling,” said Caleb Ng’wena, GHRC Programme Director, during a Thursday press briefing.

Postmortem reports revealed unusual symptoms on the bodies of the deceased, including burn-like swellings, strong odour emissions, and unexplained increases in body weight prompting county authorities to launch a probe.

GHRC is among six advocacy groups that earlier this month presented a damning report to Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, warning of major health and environmental risks posed by certain beverage firms. The report, titled Health and Environmental Risks of Unregulated Glass Bottle Reuse in the Beverage Industry in Kenya, was submitted on July 2.

According to the lobbyists, some companies are collecting used bottles from contaminated sites such as dumpsites, sewage channels, and informal waste streams, and refilling them for sale without proper sanitisation.

“These bottles are being washed in unsanitary conditions with no oversight from the Kenya Bureau of Standards or public health officers,” the groups stated.

The report included laboratory findings pointing to potential contamination by salmonella, E. coli, fungi, and traces of toxic residues like pesticides and heavy metals posing severe health hazards to consumers.

Ng’wena now fears the Migadini victims may be among the first casualties of contaminated drinks.

“This isn’t an isolated case. These are low-income areas where residents often consume cheap liquor, some of which is packaged in bottles with questionable safety standards,” he said.

The environmentalists joined by groups like Vocal Environmental Conservation, Suluhisho (CBO) Environment, Better Environment Rights, People’s Movement for Human Rights, and Prepared Society are now demanding immediate government intervention.

They want CS Duale to suspend all unsupervised reuse of glass bottles and order urgent nationwide inspections of bottling facilities, especially in hotspot counties like Mombasa.

“We sent the CS a report two weeks ago. So far, there’s been no visible action. If this continues, more Kenyans could be unknowingly drinking in disease,” Ng’wena warned.

The lobby groups are also calling for policy reforms that would phase out reused glass bottles in favour of single-use containers processed through safe, closed-loop recycling.

“This is not an attack on the beverage industry. It’s a call to protect lives. Manufacturers cutting corners to boost profits must be held accountable,” they said.

Meanwhile, Mombasa County Health Department’s Director of Communication, Richard Chacha, said there’s currently no evidence pointing to an infectious outbreak, but investigations are ongoing.

Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni also sought to allay public fears, confirming that a team of medical specialists has been dispatched to Mombasa to determine the cause of the deaths.