"Gusts of opposition hit Kenyan wind farm project"

A planned $144 million wind farm project in Central Kenya has run into opposition from farmers who fear being forced to sell their land and allege that the wind turbines could cause health problems. The Kenyan developers of the Kinangop Wind Park clean energy project say they will pay farmers for any land offered, and that no one will be required to sell their property. They say they have also adhered to international standards in planning the 16-square-kilometre project at the foot of the Aberdare mountain range - and that Kenya needs the energy.

But protests over the project have left one dead...A lawsuit by farmers seeking to stop the project until their questions are answered has been filed in Kenya's courts, a protest leader said...[F]armers...fear they could eventually be forced to sell their rich agricultural land for the 61 megawatt project, which would be one of the largest wind power installations in Africa. "Our land is for farming, not for power generation," read one protestor's sign; others expressed worries the turbines could create environmental problems or "kill us through radiation."

Experts say the health fear is unfounded, as wind turbines do not produce electromagnetic radiation at levels that harm human health. Kenya's National Environmental Management authority has signed off on the project's environmental aspects.