April 17, 2015
Kenya

Kenya: roads to Kinangop wind project can be built, says Judge

By Rita Damary | The Star | via allafrica.com

The High Court in Nakuru has partially allowed construction of public roads leading to the construction site at the Kinangop wind energy.

A group of farmers had sought to stop the project, saying that companies involved were using violence and blackmail to persuade farmers into selling their land for the project.

Aeolus Kenya, Kinangop Wind Park, Kinangop Wind Park Leases and the National Land Commission are the respondents in the case.

The Environment and Land Court judge Sila Munyao also allowed the roads within the leased farms to await the main petition hearing of the windmill.

Earlier on the Kinangop Wind Park CEO James Wakaba had argued that stopping the road construction had cost the company a lot of money.

“The stoppage is now costing Sh 4million storage charge per day for the imported equipment sourced from Spain,” he said.

Munyao also asked the 40 petitioners who sought to be enjoined to the suit be excluded from compensation on the leased properties until the suit is determined.

On March 24, Munyao had issued stopped construction of the Sh13 billion project.

The farmers also claimed that the companies fraudulently acquired the land and that the project did not meet international standards.

They said that Environmental Impact Assessment was ignored as the project could cause health complications.

The 61 Mega Watt Kinangop Wind Park Project which was to start in two weeks’ has been opposed by most of the farmers in the area.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/04/17/kenya-roads-to-kinangop-wind-project-can-be-built-says-jjudge/