The Kenyan government laid out plans to develop a 1,050 MW coal-powered electricity plant, the first coal-powered plant in Kenya. The plant’s location is Lamu, Kenya’s historic port town and East Africa’s oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement. With this background, Save Lamu launched the #ShaniYaLamu campaign during the Lamu cultural festival to highlight the attributes of Lamu Island reiterating why we should protect the heritage and splendour of this World Heritage Site.

Shani ya Lamu, speaks towards celebrating the people, their norms, their values, their faith, their resources, their languages, their skillset, their ability to help one another, their traditions and the beauty of the Island and its ecosystem to share and support the community fighting against the coal plant. It is a call to action for everyone to sign the petition against the coal plant and ask the relevant authorities to prioritize ethical and sustainable development and that Kenyan’s are against coal power production and coal mining ventures being explored anywhere in Kenya.

Save Lamu aims to collect 5,000 signatures from Lamu residents and 50,000 signatures from mainland Kenyans ahead of the environment tribunal appeal hearings set to take place in 2020.