By JOSIAH ODANGA: The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Leader Dr Oburu Oginga Tuesday urged the people of Siaya to accept the construction of the proposed Sh500 billion nuclear power plant in the region.

He said that failure to welcome the development project may later birth regrets of a missed opportunity.

“Poverty is a very dangerous thing. This nuclear project will lift our people out of poverty. We should sort out the existing concerns of the to-be affected residents but we must not let go the project because ‘I wish I knew comes later’,” said Dr Oburu.

He gave an example of Nigeria where, he recounted, people expected a lot from the oil when it was discovered but instead became poorer “because they did not start on the right footing.”

“We must take up this project but with lots of caution; not necessarily in terms of the associated accidents, but for negotiations from the beginning,” he emphasised.

He spoke at a Bondo hotel during a sensitisation and awareness creation meeting on the proposed nuclear plant with land owners. 

The Siaya County senator called on the locals to desist from selling their lands at the moment as cartels who may want to take advantage of the looming compensation processes will soon be on the prowl.

Selling of land to cartels

Further, he called on the people to only sell their land as per the market price.

“Negotiate to get the maximum out of your land,” he said, further instructing the area MP Dr Gideon Ochanda to lead his constituents in negotiating for a fair deal when compensation processes shall finally commence.

The discourse was spearheaded by the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) and KenGen, and attended by the Senate’s standing committee on Energy and area MP Dr Ochanda.

Senate’s Energy Committee Chairperson William Kisang’ promised that stakeholder engagements will continue until the groundbreaking is done next year to ensure that the best interests of the people are well taken care of.

“Don’t be distracted by outside influence into refusing the project,” said Senator Kisang’.

NuPEA CEO Mr Justus Wabuyabo confirmed that the agency has finally settled on Lenya village in Central Sakwa Ward, Bondo Constituency, as the site for the proposed project, with the official groundbreaking ceremony set for March 2027.

The plant will affect locals within an 800-metre radius.

Denise Awana, a landowner in Lenya, Central Sakwa (proposed site for the project), urged the authorities to help the locals sort out the long-standing land disputes and unresolved succession processes in the area to pave way for smooth acquisition and compensation processes. 

Dr Ochanda, who addressed himself on the issue of longstanding disputes, promised to stand with the people of Lenya, as they pursue “informal ways of handling the disputes” to ensure no-one is disadvantaged during the impending compulsory acquisition of their land.

There have been mix reactions towards the acceptability of the proposed project, with some residents strongly opposing it over alleged negative effects such as radiation and the often chaos of relocation.

Hostility from neighbors

Musa Abwao, another land owner from Lenya, told the gathering that he has since been targeted and stoned on the head for embracing the project, accordingly asking the authorities to assist him with treatment.

NuPEA CEO explained that the nuclear accidents are rare world over, emphasising that the plant will be expertly built to remove any chances of radiation. 

He also stressed that human rights will be respected in the entire process and that the agency will engage local leaders to hasten the resolution of the historical land disputes to smoothen relocations and compensation.

Apart from the reliable, affordable, clean, powerful, safe and the economically competitive energy that will be generated by the plant to benefit Kenyans, NuPEA promised that the locals will also have several social amenities in the area improved as part of their corporate social responsibility.

They include hospitals, schools and roads.

Students from the region will also receive scholarships to study various courses in universities within and without Kenya, said NuPEA.