Phyllis Omido, born around 1978, is a Kenyan environmental activist widely recognized for her efforts to shut down a toxic lead smelting plant in Owino Uhuru, a slum near Mombasa. Often referred to as the “East African Erin Brockovich,” she was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015 for her grassroots campaign against industrial pollution. Her advocacy began while working as a community liaison officer at the smelter, where she commissioned an environmental impact assessment that confirmed dangerous levels of lead contamination. After her infant son fell ill with lead poisoning, she confirmed the public health risk by testing other children and finding similar results. She resigned from her job and launched a campaign to shut down the plant, enduring threats, arrest, and legal harassment in the process. The plant was eventually closed in 2014.
In 2009, Omido founded the Centre for Justice, Governance and Environmental Action (CJGEA), a Mombasa-based organization registered in Kilifi County. CJGEA advocates for environmental justice and human rights in industrial areas, offering programs in legal aid, education, environmental governance, and climate change. The organization played a key role in raising awareness through a film launched with Human Rights Watch during the first UN Environment Assembly in 2014. Omido continues to be a leading voice for marginalized communities affected by industrial pollution and environmental injustice in Kenya.
