A section of residents of Lamu County have decried the dragging of the coal plant case in law courts saying that it was creating uncertainty in the area.
The Lamu Coal Power Station company was planning to construct a coal power plant in the area but the project was vehemently opposed by a section of residents and environmental conservation activists leading to legal battles.
It is now nine years later with the case stuck in courts hence making the country lose a potential 1,050 MW (1,410,000 hp) coal-fired thermal power station.
Led by Raya Famau and Abubakar Mohamed, the residents accused the lawyers of the Lamu Coal Power Station of filing an appeal at the Malindi law court and failing to appear in court.
“This case has dragged for far too long because we moved to court to oppose the project in 2015 and up to now the people of Lamu have not got justice in the court and we know if this project is implemented it will negatively impact on the economic activity of Lamu because we depend on sea resources and tourism and the project was to be erected near the sea,” said Raya.
She added that they won the case in the Environment and Lands Court in Malindi but the company filed an appeal which has dragged on for years.
“We travelled all the way from Lamu to Malindi for the hearing of the case but we have been disappointed after the lawyers for Lamu Coal Power Station and those representing the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) did not turn up hence making the case to be adjourned,” she said.
Additionally, Mohamed said that there was a sinister motive by the company to use unorthodox ways to beat the justice system.
“We demand answers as to why there is opaqueness in this case and why they are keeping us in courts yet we know the negative effects of coal in the world,” he said.
Meanwhile, Peter Willa, an investor in the tourism industry in Lamu urged the government to explore alternative sources such as renewable energy instead of concentrating on harmful energy sources like coal.
“Kenya doesn’t need coal power since we have very many sources of clean and renewable energy such as wind and solar and the government should do away with this coal plant,” he said.
