Fear, anxiety grip locals as mining prospects knock

By  Lillian Aluanga-Delvaux

At 75, Alice Kimuu Saleh, the matriarch to a close-knit farming family, has learnt to be content about many things in life.

But like other residents of Mui Basin in Kitui County, she is no longer at ease. The discomfort arises from news the area is endowed with massive deposits of what many, like Saleh, refer to as makaa (charcoal)”. This ‘black gold’ has led to plans for a coal-mining project in the area and uncertainty about the future of families living above the untapped wealth.

Saleh makes sweeping motions with her bony hands and speaks haltingly in the local Kamba dialect —describing how the coal find will affect her family. She asks this writer, through an interpreter, whether she has news of a resettlement plan. Disappointment shows on her face when the answer is ‘No’.

Saleh was born, raised and even found love within the Mui basin, whose 500 square kilometres hold fond memories of her life. Her home is located within Block C of the coal mining project-believed to host the lion’s share of the resource. She is, therefore, worried what will happen to the close family ties nurtured through generations when they are forced to move from their land.

 Digging coal

“I hear they (Government) will move us out of here because they want to come and dig coal from the ground,” she says. “What will happen when our children are scattered? What about the graves? Our loved ones are buried on this land. How do we just leave them and move to another place?”

Other locals share Saleh’s worries. An aura of suspicion, mistrust and misinformation has thrived since news of the coal-mining project first broke. There are murmurs of discontent directed at a liaison committee elected to act as a bridge between locals and other stakeholders in the project. Law Society of Kenya chairman Eric Mutua heads the team. There is also concern over possible health and environmental effects. Add all this to compensation issues and you have a potent recipe for a stalemate.

Coal mining exploration within Mui Basin in Kitui County can be traced to 1999, with the Government’s main objective being to provide alternative cheaper sources of energy for generating electrical power and for industrial processes. But it is believed that coal was first reported in the area during a regional geological survey in the 1940s.

To meet domestic requirements, Kenya currently imports about 150,000tonnes of coal and coke, at Sh1.36 billion, annually. This, according to proponents of alternative energy sources, could dramatically be altered should coal mining in Mui take off.

The Mui Coal Basin project is currently divided into blocks titled A, B, C and D, with the last two believed to have more than 400 million metric tonnes of coal reserves. This is said to be enough to meet the country’s energy needs for at least 40 years and provide revenue to help locals. But not even such promises can dissuade their fears.

On this day a group of about 30 locals has met on the grounds of a shaded, dusty compound that hosts the Chief’s office. The discussions are intense, with some speakers sounding agitated as they try to make sense of it all.

Power plant

“We have heard that after the coal is dug here the power plant and industries will be built at the Coast. How will this benefit locals?” asks Anastacia Njoki, 29. “There is also talk about the community getting (only) five per cent of the resources while the Government gets 85 per cent. This isn’t fair.”

For Willy Kingangi, nicknamed ‘Mamba’, perhaps for his business acumen, there is much at stake if stories doing the rounds on the project are credible.

“What happens to those that have invested in property development?” he poses. “What rates will be used to compensate them? I have over 100 beehives and dozens of cattle. What happens to all these when the project starts? How sure am I the place I will be moved to can accommodate all my livestock?”

For David Muatha, insecurity after relocation is the big worry. He insists the Government must first create a ‘buffer zone’ between Mui residents and their ‘potential neighbours’. He says: “There is a possibility we may be moved to a place that borders areas where bandits run loose.”

Safety assurance

When pressed to give the source of his information, Muatha simply shrugs but maintains those being relocated must be assured of their safety.  That coal mining has been associated with dust, noise, soil erosion and a general effect on biodiversity is not lost to the residents who want answers to their questions on the likelihood of contracting respiratory diseases. Mr George Ngungu, chairman of the Ngungi Community Based Organisation perhaps speaks for many when he says the community isn’t opposed to the project, just the manner in which the Government is handling the issue.

“There are things that must first be sorted out even before we talk about starting the project and resettlement,” he says. “We need issuance of title deeds so that people can know exactly how much land they own and the terms of compensation. We also need Environmental Impact Assessments done so that we are well informed of any effects of coal mining.” While acknowledging there have been many negative perceptions attached to the project, Chief Geologist Joseph Ndolo says some people have been deliberately misinforming residents, purely for selfish gain. “

At the moment, nobody even knows how many people will be resettled or compensated,” says Mr Ndolo.  “No one will be moved from their homes without a proper resettlement action plan in place. Nothing has been finalised yet on when to start the mining. This, therefore, means an environmental impact assessment cannot even be conducted just yet.”