The embattled London Distillers of Kenya has been ordered to immediately toe the line or face the music of distillery closure concerning the rampant environmental pollution that has been leveled at it by Erdemann Property Ltd.
The Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources ordered the LDK Chairman Mohan Golat and his company to ensure that each and every detail demanded by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), concerns raised by Erdemann Property Ltd and the residents were followed to the letter or face closure orders from the committee.
Today the LDK Chair appeared before the Kareke Mbiuki led Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural resources after being summoned to appear it following a petition to it by Erdemann Property Ltd Chief Executive Zeyun Yang.
Mr. Yang and environmental experts including residents appeared before the committee on Tuesday last week where they gave details on how LDK’s distillery in Athi River was polluting the environment with its effluent and emissions seriously adversely affecting the local residents, animals, wildlife and the natural environment.
The Committee members ordered LDK to either toe the line or be forced to close saying nothing can stop the committee from writing a report that would ensure that the company’s distilling facility was closed down over pollution of the environment.
In self-defense the LDK Chairman and company representatives defended themselves saying that they are among the country’s top tax payers giving an example that last year alone they paid more than Kshs. 3 billion to exchequer in annual taxes.
Earlier he had also written to NEMA demanding that Erdemann Property demolishes its 2000 residential properties at Great wall Garden estate in Athi River because it was allegedly constructed on industrial land failure to which NEMA should execute the destruction.
Yesterday members of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment could hear none of that defense saying they should not hide under the issue of tax at the expense of the lives of innocent residents.
