Environmentalist and activists in Kenya are at loggerheads with the government over the construction of Sh2billion dollars coal project in Lamu. The project was launched in 2013 with a view of injecting 5000MW of power to the national grid which stands at 3000MW currently.
Locals fear the plant would destroy its environment and change their way of live since it would affect marine life which is key in the area.
Around the bay, residents of Lamu town want a fight. “We’re not anti-development but no one in the world has ventured into coal mining and faced no long term consequences,” said Ishaq Abubakar of the Lamu Youth Alliance. “Coal is dirty energy and its effects are detrimental.” They fear the coal plant will pollute the sea, killing marine life, coral reefs and mangroves that locals depend on. “Our whole life revolves around water,” said fisherman Abdurahman Ali worried over his livelihood. “We fish for a living. We do not till the land. We do not break rocks in quarries. All we know is fishing. What will happen to us?”