Siaya nuclear gamble: Powering Kenya or risking locals safety?

Smokestacks of nuclear factory. [Courtesy/iStock]

Kenya is embarking on one of the most ambitious and controversial energy projects in its history. Siaya County is being considered to host Kenya’s first nuclear power plant, under the auspices of the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA).

Estimated at Sh500 billion, the plant could generate up to 20,000MW for the country.

While the government calls it a game-changer, serious questions remain about public participation, land rights, health and environmental risks and why Kenya chooses nuclear as other countries scale back.

NuPEA says it has begun stakeholder engagements and identified eight potential Siaya sites, including Osindo, Ugambe, Sirongo, Nyangoye, Manywanda, Kanyawayaga and Dagamoyo.Officials promise public participation during project planning and implementation but little has been seen so far.

But will these engagements be meaningful? In past projects like Kilifi, communities opposed plans, citing poor information, exclusion from decision-making and inadequate consultations.

Siaya risks the same, big project complex technology, distant promises and locals asked to consent without full knowledge.

“Key questions remain: What counts as genuine community consent? Will Siaya county and NuPEA share full environmental impact assessments in clear, accessible language? How will the views of fishing, farming and lakeshore communities, most affected, be considered and kept informed over the long term?”

Land rights

A project of this magnitude requires large tracts of land risking displacements or restricted land use. In Siaya, where customary and freehold land is common, details on compensation and resettlement remain thin. County messaging offers little clarity and such large land-based investments are prone to corruption.

“Following Kilifi land case, caution is needed. Will communities get independent legal advice? Will compensation cover full losses, including future livelihood, environmental impact, grazing or fishing rights, and non-monetary land value? Will land acquisition be fair and transparent and will long-term restrictions from exclusion zones, cooling water and radiation buffers be explained? A nuclear plant is no ordinary project, with health, safety and liability risks lasting decades or generations.”

“The government claims the project will meet IAEA standards and that nuclear energy is safe. But Kenya struggles to maintain roads and manage the matatu sector, so how can it safely build and run a nuclear power plant, given the high risks involved?”

Many countries have raised concerns about the full lifecycle risks: nuclear waste disposal, reactor safety (especially in case of natural disaster, technical failure or sabotage), cooling-water demands (especially for lakeside plants) and impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health.

For Siaya, being near Lake Victoria means special attention must be given to hydrological stability, waste-water return and local ecologies. Will the communities living by the lakebed (fishermen, lake-dependent small-holders) face new restrictions or exposure?

In global cases, nuclear plant “accidents” remain rare but the cost of a single event can be massive.

Also noteworthy, many Western countries are moving away from large nuclear build-outs, prompted by cost overruns, long construction times, waste-management burdens and changing electricity-market dynamics.

Nuclear is billed as a baseload solution. Siaya is reportedly favoured for its geological stability, proximity to lake water (for reactor cooling) and relative suitability compared with coastal areas where resistance was stronger because communities are more aware of the dangers of a nuclear power plant.

Still, the question remains: Are the grid infrastructure, regulatory capacity and long-term waste-management systems truly in place? And if Western nations are scaling back nuclear, paying many billions and facing delays, why is Kenya choosing to walk a similar path at scale?

And more importantly, what do Siaya residents have to say about the nuclear power plant?

The writer is a Development Communication Expert focusing on Land and Natural Resources Management Communication.