BY MACHARIA WANGUI
As Kenyans enjoy clean energy at the comfort of their rooms and office spaces, there are communities paying the huge price for its production.
Kenya is on a transformative agenda to ensure 100 percent transition to clean energy by 2050, an ambitious project that is leaving many behind, lifestyles disrupted, cultures disintegrated and ways of lives destroyed.
A recent workshop on Just Energy Transition in Kenya bringing together Project Affected Persons heard that injustices have been the order of the day, with lack of involvement of the local communities from the initiation of projects to exclusion distribution of power.
The workshop organized by Coalition for Human Rights in Development and International Accountability Project discussed the issues the communities feel are not being addressed by the duty bearers, companies and investors/ funders and the solution they think c an ensure inclusivity.
Notably, Kenya has a great potential in geothermal energy estimated at 7000MW Solar energy in regions such as Kajiado, as well as wind energy in Marsabit and Turkana.
JUST ENERGY TRANSITION
Just Energy Transition, founded under the three principles of shared prosperities, social protection and human rights and fair negotiations is a concept created to ensure affected communities in Elburu, Turkana, Ol Karia and Kajiado are included and benefit.
Geothermal, wind and Solar being the greatest contributors to clean energy.
Kenya is leading in production of renewable energy in Africa a factor that has won a number of contracts for KenGen in Eritrea, Tanzania and Eswatini to help the countries achieve 100 clean energy transition.
Back home, KenGen, GDC, Turkana Wind power project and companies mandated to implement the projects, are accused of exclusion and failure to protect human rights in their projects.
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION
Some projects include Kipeto Solar projects in Kajiado, Geothermal projects in Menengai, Narok, Naivasha and Wind Power projects in Turkana and Loiyangalani in Marsabit.
Communities here decry subversion of justice during compensation of their land, relocation, threatening and intimidation of community activists and sexclusion during power transmission.
The communities also decry being given false promises. In Kipeto solar power project, for example, residents claim that the company indeed committed to give five percent of their income towards a community trust but was not affected. Of concern is lack of transparency of the profits the companies make.
CALL FOR ACTION
To ensure just energy transition, global financial institution, such the Africa Development Bank, World Bank etc, are called upon to enforce stringent law to entities notorious of violating human rights, suspending or stopping in totality funding the companies will go a long way in ensuring communities get their rights.
Government of respective countries such as Kenya have also been called upon to ensure fairness, equal treatment, provide education, guidelines and security to community activists and whistle blowers who point out evils in companies.
Companies implementing projects should strictly adhere to set rules and guiding, engage community empowerment programs and ensure they do justice in compensating the affected communities.
Companies, government and financial institutions called upon to apply free, prior, informed, consent concept to ensure an inclusive developed nation.
UNITY OF PURPOSE
To ensure a loud call and strong voice, communities from the affected areas are called upon to form a national union to agitate for their rights, call out the rogue governments and companies in their respective areas.
Communities play a vital role in achieving development, they have materials for a building a strong foundation in which countries will grow.
Education as a Kenya to achieving a just society, communities are urged to accept empowerment of their women and youth so that fairness during employment during implementation of development agenda.
Macharia Wangui is a journalist
