A class‑action lawsuit filed by nearly 300 petitioners against BP Plc and Kenyan authorities over alleged environmental damage from historical oil exploration in northern Kenya has been cleared to proceed by the High Court.
According to Bloomberg on April 17, the petition was filed in February 2026 and is being heard at Kenya’s Environment and Land Court in Isiolo.
The case accuses BP Plc, through its former subsidiary Amoco, of improperly disposing of hazardous waste at oil drilling sites during exploration activities in the 1980s.
Court filings state that toxic and hazardous materials were discharged into the environment, contaminating water sources relied upon by local communities and livestock.
The petitioners allege that pollution led to the deaths of about 500 people, a rise in cancer cases, and the loss of thousands of animals that consumed contaminated water.
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Communities Renew Claims of Harm Tied to Decades‑Old Drilling Linked to BP Plc
On April 16, the High Court ruled that the case can proceed as a group lawsuit, allowing the affected communities to seek compensation and environmental cleanup through the courts.
The lawsuit renews concerns raised by residents in areas such as the Chalbi Desert and Marsabit County, where communities have long linked health problems and environmental degradation to historical oil exploration activities.
Petitioners argue that failures to safely manage drilling waste and properly decommission exploration sites left behind lasting contamination.
BP Plc, which acquired Amoco in a 1998 merger, has not released a detailed public response in the immediate reports following the court ruling.
The case places the company under legal scrutiny for actions related to its predecessor’s operations dating back more than 40 years.
The petitioners are seeking compensation for the loss of human life and livestock, cleanup of polluted sites, and broader restorative measures to address environmental damage in the affected regions.
The claims made by the petitioners have not yet been examined or proven in court. However, with judges now allowing the case to proceed, the lawsuit is likely to spark broader public discussion about how companies should be held accountable for harm linked to resource extraction carried out many years ago.
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Global Energy Company Facing Legal Scrutiny Over Legacy Oil Exploration Activities
BP Plc is a British energy company headquartered in London, with operations across the global oil and gas sector and growing investments in low‑carbon energy.
Founded in 1909, the company has expanded over the past century through international exploration, production, refining, fuel retail, and petrochemicals.
BP operates in dozens of countries and is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
It became one of the world’s largest energy companies following a series of mergers and acquisitions, including its 1998 merger with U.S. oil firm Amoco, through which it inherited Amoco’s assets and certain legal and environmental liabilities.
BP has said it is repositioning its business to address climate‑related risks while continuing to manage legacy operations and historical obligations linked to earlier exploration activities.
