"A People in the Way of Progress: Prostitution, alcoholism and a lawsuit on illegal land acquisition in the Lake Turkana Wind Power project", May 2016

Green energy is expected to be a significant part of the solution to Africa’s energy problems. But what new problems may arise if progress exacts at a high cost?...Lake Turkana Wind Power…now await[s] a court decision which will determine whether the land on which the turbines will be built was illegally acquired…[N]go’s, politicians, experts in land rights and indigenous peoples’ rights and community members have been interviewed…Partners in Lake Turkana Wind Power project have had the opportunity to be interviewed and…comment on the findings of this investigation prior to the publishing date.

KEY FINDINGS

• …Most communities approve of the wind power project, but claims of no public consultations…have been raised...
• Prostitution, violence and alcoholism have now come to the resettled community Sarima, because of expectations of jobs, which the project has not been able to fulfil…
• The consortium does not recognize 3 out of 4 tribes as indigenous people, and therefore they are not given rights as such in the project. The tribes in question…are recognized…by The African Commission of Human and Peoples Rights…
• Experts in IFC Standards…say…that the wind power project is not in compliance with…IFC Performance Standards…

[Responses by Lake Turkana Wind Power and Vestas available from page 34-38. See also: Responsible renewable energy outreach to wind & hydropower companies]