Elders, professionals now reject proposed nuclear plant in Siaya

Elders from Nyanza and Western have rejected the upcoming construction of a nuclear power plant in Siaya county.

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Construction of the first ever nuclear power plant in Kenya is set to start in Rarieda subcounty in Siaya county in 2027.

In a statement issued by the Luhya and Luo elders after a consultative meeting in Kakamega on Saturday, the elders said there was no meaningful public and community engagement on a project of such magnitude.

“In view of the likely implications of the nuclear plant to health and the environment in and around the entire Eastern Africa region, the joint council resolved to reject in total the plans of going ahead with the project,” the statement said.

Nyanza Professional Caucus chairman George Outa said the government did not take into account the effects of establishing a nuclear power plant right within the Lake Victoria ecosystem.

The elders agreed to establish a technical committee to be headed by engineer Philip Okundi to look into the risks and safety issues of communities living around the lake.

They said the government did not appreciate the trans boundary nature of Lake Victoria and that a nuclear plant erected in any part of the territorial waters would require the concurrence of other countries, including Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt.

The elders said the initial plan to have the plant built in Kilifi was abandoned after local communities rejected the idea.

While signing a collaborative MoU with Masinde Muliro University for development of nuclear energy workforce on October 2, Nuclear Power Energy Agency (NuPEA) chairman Lawrence Gumbe assured Kenyans on the safety of nuclear energy.

He said the plant’s construction is undertaken under the guidance of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which takes into account stringent safeguards.

He said fatalities from nuclear power are at 0.03.

Gumbe said the collaboration is a long-term initiative that will include partnerships in carrying out research, not only in nuclear programmes but also areas of its application including agriculture, medicine, engineering and weather forecasting.

NuPEA CEO Justus Wabuyabo said the government is pursuing the latest nuclear technology and ambassadors.

He said the agency is actively engaging the public through public participation forums about the nuclear power plant urging the university to be ambassadors of the programme.

The position by the elders contradicts elected leaders from the lake region who have embraced development of the plant in Siaya.

The construction of the first ever nuclear power plant is envisaged to create more than 20,000 jobs.