“The government wants to push nuclear down our throats and there is a rallying call that government is using its forces to intimidate its citizens."

Community Initiative Action Group - Kenya (CIAG-K) executive director Chris Owala in Mombasa on Monday / BRIAN OTIENO

The government has been accused of pushing the proposed Sh500 billion nuclear power plant on Siaya residents without adequately addressing concerns raised over public participation and land rights.

Community Initiative Action Group-Kenya (CIAG-K) executive director Chris Owala dismissed the public participation exercises conducted over the project as a sham, alleging the government was using state machinery to intimidate those opposed to the project.

He spoke in Mombasa on Monday on the sidelines of a meeting organised by the Environmental Rights Organization (Erog) to mark its 10th anniversary and advocate for the protection of land and environmental rights defenders.

Owala questioned Kenya's readiness to embrace nuclear energy, claiming the government had not fully exploited other available sources, including wind, solar and geothermal power.

“If you go to Ethiopia, they export (power) from hydro. Why are we (a more advanced country) going to nuclear?” he posed.

He alleged that the proposed power plant could be a pretext for acquiring large tracts of land in Siaya for the benefit of a few government officials, although he did not provide evidence to support the claim.

Owala said the concerns that led to the rejection of the project in Kilifi county had not been addressed before the government shifted its focus to Siaya.

The proposed plant was initially planned for Uyombo village in Matsangoni, Kilifi North, but opposition from residents and environmental activists prompted the government to abandon the site.

In Siaya, activists have reported harassment and arrests by security personnel, which they describe as attempts to intimidate opponents of the project.

The dispute has also exposed growing tensions between the government and those questioning the proposed investment.

On October 23, Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi described opponents of the project as enemies of progress, accusing them of frustrating development efforts.

Wandayi warned that the government would deal with those obstructing the project through legal means, insisting that the nuclear power plant would be a game changer for the country.

“We know there are people who are hell-bent on causing problems. We know that. Anybody who is playing games or anybody who is basically doing the bidding of opposing and negative forces, those who want to frustrate government programmes, rest assured we shall handle you appropriately," Wandayi said.

However, Owala claimed the government had not demonstrated why Siaya was suitable for the project, particularly given the unresolved concerns raised in Kilifi.

“If nuclear was chased from Kilifi and the very same issues (raised in Kilifi) have not been addressed, how is it going to be in Siaya?” he asked.

He also questioned what he described as political considerations behind the proposed project, claiming it was being pushed because of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's interest in nuclear energy.

“We are looking at this as a political agenda and the people who are in power are using it, we are being told, as a thank you to the former Prime Minister because he loved nuclear but we feel that that should not be the reason to push it down our throats,” he said.

On the same day, Senate Energy Committee chairperson William Kisang said those opposing the project in Siaya were the same people who had resisted it in Kilifi, adding that the government would not allow their opposition to derail the investment.

But Owala cited Article 10 of the Constitution, arguing that public participation and popular sovereignty gave citizens the right to question government decisions.

He said elected leaders were temporary custodians of public authority and should not impose projects against the wishes of the people.

“People shall. These people who are in government today are there temporarily. They are our agents. We appoint them to those offices,” he said.

He criticised Wandayi's declaration that the project would proceed despite opposition from residents.