Lamu coal power plant site. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Summary
- Speaking on Monday, the MCAs led by Deputy Speaker Abdalla Baabad said the suggestion for land compensation was sinister and pointed at a possible plot to con the land owners of the compensation monies.
- Mr Baabad rejected the plan to resettle the land owners saying the move was against an earlier agreement to have the farmers get cash.
- A total of 975 acres of land have already been acquired for the establishment of the project which is poised to generate about 1,050 megawatts of power once ready and functional.
Lamu MCAs have threatened to sabotage the
Sh200 billion coal-fired power plant if the government will insist on
land instead of monetary compensation for those displaced by
the project.
The project which is under Amu Power Company, a consortium of Gulf Energy and Centum Investment
is being set up at Kwasasi village in Hindi Division.
Speaking
on Monday, the MCAs led by Deputy Speaker Abdalla Baabad said the
suggestion for land compensation was sinister and pointed at a possible
plot to con the land owners of the compensation monies.
Mr Baabad rejected the plan to resettle the
land owners saying the move was against an earlier agreement to have the
farmers get cash.
A total of 975
acres of land have already been acquired for the establishment of the
project which is poised to generate about 1,050 megawatts of power once
ready and functional.
The initial
agreement between the farmers and the investor through the National
Lands Commission (NLC) had been for the land owners to get monetary
compensation with the commission even determining that an acre
of land was to be compensated at Sh800,000.
The
Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Development
Authority, which is the acquiring body for the lands on behalf of the
investor, recently wrote to the NLC, advising the commission to apply
the Land to Land Compensation Approach as a suitable method of
compensation for the affected landowners.
The
move has now drawn condemnation and disgruntlement in equal measures as
locals and leaders now say there could be plans to dupe them of their
rightful compensation.
“We support our farmers. They want to be
compensated in cash and so be it. We will not accept the suggestion to
have land to land compensation approach. In fact I don’t understand why
last minute plans are secretly being made to alter the initial
compensation mode. Let them respect our farmers by giving them cash or
else, we will not allow any activities to proceed at Kwasasi,” said Mr
Baabad.
He said, “Giving alternative
lands to our farmers wasn’t the agreement and we won’t allow it to
happen. People should also understand that Lamu has no vacant land. Most
idle lands have already been invaded by the ever growing squatter
population. Even the lands in Boni forest belong to the Boni minority
community whom we have been advising to embrace farming on those lands.
There is no option except monetary compensation.”
The
Leader of Majority in the Lamu County Assembly who is also the Mkomani
Ward MCA Yahya Ahmed Shee reiterated that the government was used to
making key decisions on behalf of the people of Lamu without
consultations.
Mr Shee said the
government had no legal authority to twist or change an earlier
agreement without consulting all affected parties unless of course there
were plans to dupe.
He said their stand as leaders is to have all the farmers at Kwasasi be compensated in cash and nothing else.
“You
can’t just sit alone and make decision on crucial matters affecting
mwananchi. The government, LAPSSET and the investor haven’t involved the
leaders of this county as well as the farmers themselves on the matter.
They expect us to accept and move on. We will not allow that. Let them
pay our farmers their cash as earlier agreed. We will defend them until
they get their justice. They have a right,” said Mr Shee.
Hongwe
Ward MCA James Komu expressed worry that the current disagreement on
compensation mode will result to more delay in the establishment of the
coal plant project.
Mr Komu insisted
that the investor, the LAPSSET and the government sit with the farmers
and local leaders so that they can discuss a way forward on the matter.
“They
shouldn’t issue a blanket decision on how the farmers are supposed to
be compensated. They should consult all stakeholders before reaching
consent on the compensation mode. Let the farmers be given cash unless
there are others who need land. They can as well approach those opting
for land and talk with them as individuals,” said Mr Komu.
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