Blog by Geoffry Ariong, Executive Director and Founder of Turkana Indigenous People Action for Development, who collaborates with the Community Resource Exchange.
Tullow oil fields in Turkana county, Kenya
The pastoralist communities living around Lake Turkana, in Northern Kenya, know little of the multi-million projects that the World Bank and other financiers have been promoting in this area in the past decade. Despite the misleading slogan of “locally-led” climate actions, the World Bank is funding projects that often exclude pastoralist communities from key decision-making processes and that are exacerbating structural land rights issues. Moreover, there is little transparency on where the funding is going.
Turkana is one of the most marginalized counties in Kenya. Historically, this territory has been characterized by endemic poverty, insecurity and droughts. The arrival of the UK-based company Tullow Oil in 2012 worsened an already dire situation. Initially, part of the population welcomed the oil exploration activities because of the false promises of jobs and economic growth. Soon, however, it became clear that the benefits would only go to the company. Local communities were left facing heavy pollution, rights violations, and loss of livelihoods, and oil revenue funds that were meant to directly benefit the community have been allegedly diverted by the county government.
From the Lake Turkana wind energy project in Marsabit county to the solar panels of the KOSAP project, in the past decade the World Bank has been funding several so-called green projects to help Kenya move away from fossil fuels. However, when renewables projects are imposed with a top-down approach that prioritizes the economic interests of the elites over the needs of the local communities, the energy transition model cannot be defined just.
Community mobilization activity led by Turkana Indigenous People Action for Development.
For instance, the US$ 150 million allocated in 2017 for the KOSAP project were supposed to help Kenya close the energy access gap, by providing solar panels and clean cooking solutions to remote areas. Its implementation, however, started without involving local pastoralist communities, who did not receive adequate information to understand which villages were supposed to benefit from the project and how money was being spent.
There is also uncertainty regarding the land acquisition process, a structural problem that particularly affects pastoralist communities in the region. In February 2024, the Kenyan government published a gazette related to land acquisition for the KOSAP project. In the gazette, vast hectares of land are marked as “unoccupied”, despite being crucial for local communities who use this communal land to pasture their animals, find their medicinal herbs, and access resources that are key for their livelihoods. The gazette, posted online, required people to file a demand to claim their customary land. Nobody among the pastoralist community, however, was informed about this and was able to claim their rights.
The World Bank is also funding the FFLoCa (Financing Locally-Led Climate Action) project, a five-year program jointly launched by the World Bank and Government of Kenya in 2021, aimed at “delivering locally-led climate resilience actions and strengthening county and national government capacity to manage climate risk”. Even in this case, there is a concern about lack of transparency, poor engagement with civil society groups, and lack of meaningful consultations.
In Turkana, several civil society groups are closely working with local communities to raise awareness about their rights and supporting them in demanding truly community-led solutions that address their needs and do not harm their territory. For instance, in 2023 16 pastoralist communities in oil extraction areas in Turkana county – with the support of local civil society organizations – managed to successfully register their land.
But in this region, claiming rights in the face of powerful businesses is a risky operation. Local human rights defenders who have been raising concerns around development projects and possible misuse of funds have faced serious threats, including intimidating phone calls and public harassment. Despite the risks faced, they are continuing to speak up. And if projects are meant to be truly community-led, then it’s time for development banks and private companies to go beyond the slogans and let local communities shape development projects that can really serve their needs.