Uncertainty continues to dog the yet-to-commence Kitui coal mining project, with an NGO now calling on the contractors to update residents on the plans.
The Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education says the multimillion-shilling project has been shrouded in secrecy, with both residents and the county government unaware of key elements.
Contracts to mine coal in the four blocks of the Mui Coal Basin were in 2011 awarded to two Chinese firms by the national government.
The CHRCE, however, says the firms have not been to the ground and have been hibernating. Such a move has caused anxiety among residents, the NGO adds.
Some locals were to be relocated but they have not been told of any resettlement plan since.
In a report titled Summary Investment Chain Report: Mui Basin Coal Mines, the NGO says residents have remained in the dark nearly a decade after the initial concession for mining coal in the Mui Coal basin was awarded.
It now wants the project stopped, citing failure by authorities to disclose to the public the financial, social and environmental risks posed by coal mining.
The NGO says it will use both the legal and administrative channels to stop the project. Its report has been shared with the Kitui government and residents of the basin.
The lobby said coal was found to be disastrous in the Lamu coal project and that the same environmental assessment finding should apply to the Kitui project.
“Using the Kenyan government’s own documents to show that Mui Basin’s coal is not suitable for Lamu is likely to be particularly powerful and may cast doubts not only on the plan to develop Mui Basin, but also the Lamu project,” the report says.
The reports suggested the community advocates and local civil society write to the contracted firms to express residents' reservations.
“The letters should detail affected communities’ social and environmental concerns and making clear the financial risks facing the project. The letters may also request disclosure of key documents or information,” the report says.
The letters should also be addressed to the possible financiers of the coal mining initiatives and shareholders of the respective mining firms.
“Whenever possible, it is useful to cite Kenyan law and regulation in letters to Chinese banks, companies and government.”
Edited by P.O
