Operations at Eburru Geothermal Power Plant in Naivasha were disrupted after residents demonstrated against KenGen.
The over 300 irate farmers blocked the road leading to the power plant, demanding compensation for their crops damaged by steam emanating from one of the plants’ wells.
They carried placards and twigs, dug trenches on the road before the Provincial Administration intervened. This comes months after the farmers blocked KenGen staff from accessing the 2.3Mw plant due to alleged pollution. A local leader, Mr David Gathuru, said KenGen had promised to compensate them for the crops and roofing material damaged but this had not happened. He said tens of farmers had lost all their crops that withered due to the harmful steam. “ KenGen promised to compensate us for the losses months ago but this has not happened and hence the demonstration,” he said. The farmer said there were fears of food shortage due to the damaged crops.
KenGen’s Geothermal Development Manager Godfrey Muchemi said they had been waiting for an assessment report from the Ministry of Agriculture. He confirmed receiving the report, adding they were studying it before addressing the issue of compensation.
“The farmers have complained that the damage done on their crops was because of the steam and we engaged the Ministry of Agriculture to investigate the matter,” he said. Gilgil DC Kamau Karung’o said a meeting had been called on Tuesday to address the issue.
By Antony Gitonga, The Standard
