By ERIC JUMA
ODM leader Oburu Oginga has urged members of the Lenya community whose land is earmarked for a multi-billion-shilling nuclear power project to honour the wishes of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga by embracing the proposed project.
Oburu, who is also the Siaya Senator, said Raila had supported the establishment of the nuclear project in Siaya after recognising its potential to transform the economy of the Nyanza region.
Addressing landowners in Bondo town, Oburu said the project would not only help stabilise Kenya’s electricity supply but also open up Nyanza to industrial development.
“Raila meant well for the Nyanza region when he personally agreed that the project be hosted in Siaya County,” Oburu said.
He urged landowners not to listen to what he described as inciters and propagandists seeking to frustrate the project.
“There are so many propagandists selling an agenda of fear to the Lenya people so as to oppose the project. I want to tell you not to fall into their traps. What we are discussing is a project that stands to benefit the entire country,” he said.
Oburu said Kenya should embrace nuclear energy because many countries around the world were turning to nuclear power to meet their growing energy needs.
“The world is going nuclear and as a country struggling to get to first-class status, we must not be left behind. We must embrace the project,” he said.
He urged residents who have taken a hardline position against the project to soften their stance and engage with KenGen and the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) to address their concerns.
Oburu cited Nigeria’s experience with oil exploration, warning that local communities should not end up being impoverished while outsiders benefit from the exploitation of their natural resources.
“The Nigerians thought they would grow rich because their jurisdiction was full of crude oil deposits. Let’s not go the Nigerian way where foreigners ended up extracting oil and getting rich while Nigerians whose lands hosted the oil continued languishing in poverty,” he said.
He said some communities in Nigeria became poorer after oil extraction because they failed to secure adequate benefits from the resource.
“They landed in such a distressful situation because of wrong footing. They left the full process in the hands of foreigners, and oil was being pumped into ships and transported elsewhere for processing,” Oburu said.
He assured the community that leaders would safeguard their interests throughout the implementation of the nuclear project.
“As leaders, we shall stand with our people to an extent of seeing to it that their interests in regards to the nuclear project are safeguarded,” he said.
Oburu also challenged KenGen and NuPEA to listen to the concerns raised by residents and address the shortcomings and teething problems surrounding the project.
He said fears over nuclear radiation, pollution and the disposal of waste generated by the plant should be adequately addressed to reassure the community.
“The people have raised concerns over nuclear threats, pollution and disposal of wastes discharged from the nuclear plant. Such concerns should be addressed appropriately to defuse the fear inflicted on them by naysayers,” he said.
“We must assure our people of their safety with regards to waste discharged from the nuclear plant.”
Oburu said nuclear power differed from oil extraction because it would provide a reliable source of electricity while also being considered a clean source of energy.
He called for mechanisms to ensure local residents benefit directly and indirectly from the project through employment and business opportunities.
“We should also have a proper structure of absorbing our people to offer direct and indirect services at the nuclear plant. Through corporate social responsibility, the company should respond to community challenges,” he said.
Oburu also sought to reassure residents about the safety of nuclear power, citing his visits to countries that host nuclear plants.
“I have visited countries including China that host similar nuclear plants and, for sure, it is good and safe, so do not fear it,” he said.
He called on those overseeing the project to demystify what he termed myths surrounding nuclear power and address residents’ concerns to build trust and confidence and prevent protests that could jeopardise the project.
The Senate Energy Committee, led by its chairman William Kipsang, assured residents that the nuclear project would be established in Lenya once the community was adequately sensitised and its concerns addressed.
Kipsang, who is also the Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator, said the decision to locate the project in Siaya was influenced by Raila and President William Ruto, whom he said had recognised the historical marginalisation of the Nyanza region.
“The reason as to why the nuclear plant project landed in Siaya is because of Raila and President William Ruto. They sat down and established that the Nyanza region was neglected for a long time by the previous regimes since 1963 and they saw it fit to bring the project in Nyanza so as to grow the community and region,” Kipsang said.
He urged residents to embrace the project while continuing to engage with NuPEA and KenGen to ensure their concerns were addressed.
“We are aware that they have started sensitisation processes. There are meetings that have been going on and the meetings will continue until the project is successful and compensation is done adequately,” Kipsang said.
He noted that Kenya’s current electricity generation capacity was insufficient to meet the country’s growing energy needs, particularly with the expansion of affordable housing projects.
Kipsang also warned residents against being influenced by external forces opposed to the project.
Nominated Senator Beatrice Ogolla, who is the vice-chairperson of the Senate Energy Committee, said the committee would ensure landowners were adequately compensated based on established market rates and valuation procedures.
Ogolla urged landowners to make their land available for the project once the necessary processes had been completed.
“Raila’s idea to endorse the nuclear project was timely. He had visualised Nyanza as an industrial destination and pushed for the project before he died,” she said.
“He knew the next generation would sustain their livelihoods through the project.”
Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda echoed the call for dialogue, saying the community should be guaranteed tangible benefits before approving implementation of the project.
He proposed the crafting of a memorandum of understanding outlining the benefits that the community would receive once the project is approved.
Ochanda also revealed that some of the land earmarked for the project was subject to ownership disputes, urging authorities and residents to first resolve the disputes before proceeding with the acquisition process.
