IAEA Urges Kenya to Improve Radioactive Waste Policy

Recently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted a nine-day "Artemis" radioactive waste management assessment mission to Kenya and released its assessment findings in Nairobi, calling on Kenya to introduce a national radioactive waste management policy as soon as possible before introducing nuclear power and to strengthen the independence of its regulatory body.

It is reported that this is the first Artemis assessment conducted by the IAEA in Africa, initiated at the request of the Kenyan government. The assessment team acknowledged Kenya's significant progress in radioactive waste management in recent years, while also recommending that Kenya develop a comprehensive policy framework covering nuclear energy, the nuclear fuel cycle and radioactive waste, and deepen the training of regulatory personnel to ensure the full independence of regulatory performance.

Currently, Kenya mainly uses radioactive sources in the medical, industrial and scientific research fields, with waste uniformly stored at the Central Radioactive Waste Processing Facility located in Kajiado County. As one of East Africa's largest economies, Kenya is vigorously advancing nuclear energy development, planning to build its first commercial nuclear power plant with an installed capacity of 2,000 megawatts on the shores of Lake Victoria in Siaya County, with the goal of completion and commissioning by 2034, while also planning to begin construction of the country's first nuclear research reactor in Konza Technopolis in 2027.

The IAEA's assessment provides critical compliance and safety guidance for Kenya's nuclear power plant and research reactor construction. By introducing international review to standardize its waste management and regulatory system, Kenya will not only lay a solid institutional foundation for the smooth implementation of the country's first nuclear power plant, but also set a benchmark for nuclear safety governance across the African region.