As other renewable energy investments in Kenya, the Lake Turkana project does not recognize local pastoralist communities as “indigenous peoples”, avoiding the most stringent safeguard policies required by investors (IEWA, 2013). Although the Letter of Allotment that privatized community lands was issued in 2009, communities did not know about it until 2014 through the effort of activists and the cooperation of some members of the County Assembly. In this context, Marsabit communities organized to form a resistance network called “Sarima Indigenous Peoples’ Land Forum”. A lawsuit was filed in October 2014 at the Meru High Court to nullify the tiles and return to the original status as “community land”. Communities also raised objections to what the company was presenting as “community consultations”, and denounced co-optation of local elites and creating division among tribes. Meanwhile, in 2015 Google announced plans yesterday to take a 12.5% stake in Lake Turkana, once the project becomes operational in 2017.The firm will purchase its stake in the windfarm from Danish turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems, becoming the project’s third largest investor. However, the company did not disclose the value of the deal. There are also concerns about wildlife: nearby Lake Turkana is a major stopover for migrant waterfowl including pelicans, flamingos, herons, and storks. As reported in National Geographic, Van Wageningen (LTWP chairman) said that the wind farm is 15 kilometers  away from principal migration routes. In addition, LTWP will employ a full-time environmental specialist to monitor and report on any impacts to birds in the area  The latest news from the Sarima indigenous forum (03/2016) indicates the Meru High Court issued an injunction banning any works by LTWP on most of the land. However, they state that the consortium has systematically tried to violate this injunction, while Kenyan security agencies did nothing to prevent it. Local communities therefore blocked the roads in order to enforce the court injunction and defend their community land. The blockades have been so far focused on stopping road construction/upgrade works that are being undertaken specifically for the project. These works involve partly upgrading an existing road, and partly diverting its route. The Sarima indigenous forum states that the modification of the alignment of the existing road will affect more community land (without consultation or compensation) and will have detrimental effects on the traditional culture and livelihoods.  For instance, the new alignment of the road will seriously damage the 'singing wells' of Ilaut, one of the only points where water is available during the dry season, and where water fetching is associated with traditional songs and the sustainance of culture.  In the same communication, the Forum states that LTWP representatives increased the pressure on the Kenyan government to deploy security agencies to clear the road blockades. This pressure increased after Siemens France, which has been hired to build the wind farm substation, threatened to abandon the project. After a series of meetings intended to co-opt or threaten community representatives and activists, some of them were convened on February 9th by the Cabinet Secretary of Internal Security and the Cabinet Secretary for Energy. At this meeting, the Cabinet Secretary of Internal Security said that the government will use force to clear blockades and facilitate the construction of the road and the wind farm. In this context. The Sarima movement then appeals to national and international civil society organizations to put pressure on consortium members, particularly on foreign governments that have invested or lent taxpayers’ money in LTWP’s project, and on the Kenyan government, in order to prevent a tragedy. This can take many different forms, from letters and petitions to social or mainstream media activism, from awareness-raising in your community to urgent protest actions in case the threats come true.    (*) Since April 2016, the Sarima Indigenous Forum webpage is unavailable

310 MW

Number of turbines

365

The project includes the construction of roads and a sub-station