NuPea Urged to Stop Harassing Uyombo Residents
Kilifi North Legislator Owen Baya addressing Chonyi residents. P(hoto By Robby ngoba)
By Robby Ngoba
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
Nuclear Power Energy Agency officials have been told to stop using security agencies to threaten and intimidate Uyombo Village residents in Kilifi County into accepting the setting up of the power plant their area.
Owen Baya, Kilifi North MP, says NuPea has failed to convince the community into accepting the project and opting for threats or intimidation would not work.
The lawmaker was speaking when he handed over a Sh13 million NG-CDF multipurpose hall at Majaoni Secondary School recently.
According to him the agency is taking a sectarian position by imposing people who support project in order to create the perception the community was in tandem with the same.
“Nupea was given the opportunity to scout for a place in this country where they can set up a power plant, but since 2021 when they approached me in Nairobi they have not given any satisfactory information that they have undertaken proper public participation. What they have succeed is to divide the community.
They thought applying divide and rule strategy will manage the people and have the project going but that is not the essence of democracy as outline in our constitution. You must give everyone a fair opportunity because nuclear issues are very dangerous hence it required unanimous support or no support.”
The government, through NuPea, is planning to set up a Sh500 billion nuclear plant at Uyombo village that has raised issues of its impact on environment and marine ecosystem.
The parliamentary deputy majority leader also faulted the agency for sideling the local community during their last year’s bench-marking visit in Ghana.
“When they were planning to take people for bench-marking in Ghana, I told them to pick genuine people who will be affected directly, but they disregarded my advice and they went ahead and pick Kilifi County Commissioner Josphat Biwott, area MCA Hassan Muhammed, Kilifi governor’s delivery unity Fikirini Jacobs and themselves and we have not yet seen that report, they have not even publish the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA) which is one of the key document I requested,” he said.
The MP questioned the agency as to why it was setting up a nuclear power station without thoroughly engaging the targeted community in various consultation gradually instead of the blanket manner of execution.
“Kenya is among the countries which is setting up for nuclear energy production to cut down the cost of electricity, but there must be a clear and conscious agreement between the affected community and the agency and not just jumping into the matrix by using threats and intimidation to impose a project on people.”
