A coalition of Lamu community groups, known as Save Lamu, held a town meeting on Thursday July 28th, 9:00am at Lamu Fort, to air their concerns and publicly share their stance on the Lamu port plans.
Sheikh Idarus, one of the speakers at the meeting
Save Lamu has organized the meeting to discuss land issues and the Lamu port project with a strategy to engage with these issues through a Bio-Cultural Community Protocol (BCP) for Lamu County. A BCP is a document that can facilitate asserting rights over communally managed lands, marine areas and resources and traditional knowledge systems. The BCP is based on communities’ customs, values, and laws and it sets out clear terms and conditions to the government, private sector and research organs for engaging with communities and accessing their local resources.
We had guests from Natural Justice, an NGO providing legal assistance for the BCP process, Inuka Trust, an NGO working towards empowering individuals and holding government accountable and Development Policy Management Forum (DPMF), a think-tank examining land and resources in Coast Province. These guests will introduce their work and the BCP process and then we will provide time for audience participation.
Concurrently with the meeting, Save Lamu has also publicized a petition both online and offline following President Mwai Kibaki’s rushed decision to commence the port plans prior to the initiation of consultations with local stakeholders, an environmental impact assessment, and completion of land reforms in the County. Save Lamu wishes to clarify that the coalition does not oppose the development of Lamu. We maintain that:
- the Lamu community needs to be consulted before the port plans materialize
- an environmental and cultural assessment report needs to be tabled and discussed
- land reforms are requisite before proceeding with the port plans
- the indigenous communities in the county must benefit from the proposed project
A petition has been tabled to this effect to publicize the concerns of the local community.
You have done a great work so far. Now this time we hope the men of
power take time to listen. Future can be designed and planned with a maximum of
environmental concern. Mostly even less costly but there must
be a lot of akili and RESPECT!
Kenya has a gem here up on its northern coast.There are n many left in our world today. Let no stupid careless greed destroy Lamu!
Mama Subira
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