Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Tuesday cleared the air on plans to set up a nuclear power plant in Kilifi County.
For several years now, the government has had to navigate around the thorny situation with Coast residents fiercely opposition plans to set up a nuclear facility in the region. Previously, the government has defended the proposed plans arguing a nuclear plant will be instrumental in helping the country achieve its long-term energy objectives.
However, Coast residents working together with various lobby groups have argued that the project would have negative effects on people's health, the environment and tourism.
The protests and concerns prompted the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Environment to ask the Cabinet Secretary to clarify the reported plans.
Kilifi North Member of Parliament Owen Baya queried the CS to respond to reports that plans are imminent to set up a nuclear power plant project at Uyombo in Kilifi North Constituency.
Responding to the questions, Duale claimed that there was no such project ongoing, revealing that the Kenya Meteorological Department is setting up weather equipment instead.
"There was no such project in Kilifi County but instead, the Kenya Meteorological Department has set up their weather equipment on the said site," Duale told the Committee.
The Muslims for Human Rights group (MUHURI) took part in a march on Friday in Kilifi to the county governor's office where protesters handed him a petition opposing construction of the plant.
The construction of the 1,000MW nuclear plant is set to begin in 2027 and begin operations by 2034. It is also set to cost Ksh 500 billion.
Among the concerns the residents have raised include; projected negative effects like malformed children, disruption to nature including possible death of fish and possible harm to Arabuko Sokoke Forest.
The protest against the project was organized by the Centre for Justice Governance and Environmental Actions, which also filed a petition against the project.
In the petition presented in Parliament, the locals claimed that they had limited information on the proposed plant and the criteria for selecting preferred sites.
Duale also reiterated his previous statements that the government is fully committed to ensuring that all Kenyans living in riparian land must move, to create a way for the cleaning of the Nairobi River.
"Hon. Members, all those living along riparian land across the city of Nairobi must vacate regardless of their social class. The recent flooding in Nairobi County led to the loss of 41 people and I want to assure this Committee that this will not happen again."
"In the next 18 months, Nairobi River will be something to be happy about. This is not my commitment but the president's commitment," the CS told the committee.
