Sh200 billion coal-fired power plant causes Trouble in lamu

janet ndila

March 24, 2017 12:50 PM

Rights activists groups in lamu have protested the construction of a Sh200 billion coal-fired power plant...

Residents protest over coal in Lamu

Rights activists groups in lamu have protested the construction of a Sh200 billion coal-fired power plant at Kwasasi in Hindi Division, Lamu West.

This is after the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved the construction setting all issues regarding had been addressed.

However, speaking on Friday, Save Lamu Organisation chairman, Mr Mohamed Abubakar, stated that the group had not been engaged on consulted over the approval.

Mr Abubakar noted that the issues that had been raised by the group regarding the power plant had not been addressed by ERC and NEMA.

The chairman stated that the project was hazardous and questioned why the government was forcing resident in Lamu to accept it.

“I blame ERC and Nema for approving such a harmful project to both human health and our environment. We submitted our objections and they promised to engage us in talks to see whether an alternative and environmental friendly energy-generating plant can be established in Lamu.

“We are shocked that our objections were trashed and they went ahead to approve the project. We will head to court and fight until justice prevails,” Mr Abubakar stated.

The chairman, as well as the locals, announced that they will not allow the project to go on until their issues were addressed and vowed to fight it until the end.

“We will not relent. We will fight till the end. Our fishermen, mangrove harvesters and the population at large have a stake in sustainable environment that is free from pollution,” one of the officials affirmed.

The Amu Power Company Limited, a consortium of Gulf Energy and Centum Investments, is the one set to start construction of the plant.

janet ndila