About a decade after surrendering nearly 1,000 acres of land for a coal power project that never materialised, hundreds of families in Lamu are now fighting a fresh threat of losing the same land to alleged grabbers.
At Kwasasi Village in Lamu West Sub-County, land that was cleared for the proposed Sh200 billion coal-fired power plant has remained idle since the project was ultimately quashed by the courts. The Environment and Land Court in Malindi in 2025 upheld the National Environment Tribunal decision that the Environment Impact Assessment license issued for the coal plant did not comply with laid down regulations.
Originally cleared for the much-publicised coal power project, the land has become a prime target for developers and speculators. Farmers are locked in a fight to protect ancestral land they say was surrendered for compensation that never came.
Bushy farmlands at Kwasasi Village in this photo taken on June 12,2026. Previously, the lands had been acquired for the establishment of the Sh200 billion coal-fired power plant.
Photo credit: Kalume Kazungu | Nation Media Group
Among those caught in the dispute is Mr David Njuki, who sits beside his once productive half acre farm, now swallowed by thick bush and overgrowth, saying his attempts to farm on the land are always met with resistance from influencial people claiming ownership.
“The project investors and state officials approached us then. They promised us prosperity, jobs and modern amenities. They even persuaded us to sign documents allowing our land to be acquired for the coal plant project, which we did. Our plots were cleared for the impending construction only for the project to face resistance and later be revoked by the court,” said Mr Njuki.
Mr Njuki is among more than 600 farmers in Kwasasi who say no one has come to update them about the fate of their land since the project was stopped by the court.
“As you can see, our plots have today turned from power plant land into wasteland. They are bushy. Every time we try to develop them, we receive threats and intimidation from tycoons claiming the land is theirs,” said Mr Njuki.
Kwasasi Village elder Shee Ahmed Mumin appealed to both the county and national governments, through the National Land Commission (NLC), to intervene and help residents secure their land rights.
Mr Mumin said many families have lived in the village for more than 30 years but still lack title deeds for their ancestral land. He added that the absence of formal ownership documents has left residents highly vulnerable to land grabbing and exploitation by powerful individuals.
“Now that people had already been convinced into signing documents and even abandoning their land while waiting for compensation, many of us are facing threats whenever we try to reoccupy those plots despite the project having been halted,” said Mr Mumin.
He expressed suspicion that state agencies may be aware of the activities of the alleged grabbers, questioning why authorities remain silent.
“If the government has colluded with the so-called tycoons to evict us from our land, let it be clear that we will not leave this place no matter what. Either they compensate us at Sh3 million per acre and resettle us elsewhere or they demarcate the land and issue title deeds to secure our ancestral property,” said Mr Mumin.
However, Lamu County Commissioner Stephen Sangolo said his office had not received complaints from residents regarding the claims of being threatened, or any court orders requiring evictions in Kwasasi.
“We have not received any court orders intended to evict Kwasasi farmers, nor have we received complaints from villagers that they are being threatened with eviction. If such grievances exist, they should report them to our office. We will follow up and ensure the matter is addressed amicably,” said Mr Sangolo.
Ms Hellen Muthoni Waiyaki, a resident, said the lack of ownership documents had enabled wealthy individuals and private investors to lay claim to the abandoned land.
“Almost daily, we are threatened with eviction. Those tycoons have branded us squatters on our own land because they know we are poor and cannot fight back. Something needs to be done,” said Ms Waiyaki.
Her sentiments were echoed by Kwasasi Farmers Association vice chairperson Tima Swaleh, who said many residents feel trapped by predatory land grabbing schemes.
The proposed Lamu coal-fired power plant was sponsored by Amu Power, a consortium comprising Gulf Energy and Centum Investment Company. At least 975 acres were earmarked for acquisition at Kwasasi from 2016 for the establishment of the project, which was expected to generate 1,050 megawatts of electricity upon completion.
The same year, the NLC, then chaired by Prof Muhammad Swazuri, reviewed the Kwasasi land and approved compensation for landowners at Sh800,000 per acre.
Kwasasi farmers led by their village elder Shee Ahmed Mohamed Mumin (in greyish sweater) during a community baraza to discuss land-related squabbles on June 12, 2026.
Photo credit: Kalume Kazungu | Nation Media Group
However, no farmer was compensated after the National Environment Tribunal in June 2019 quashed the project's licence, citing the National Environment Management Authority's failure to conduct a proper Environmental Impact Assessment. The tribunal also faulted Nema for issuing what it described as a generic Environmental Impact Assessment licence that was not specific to the project.
In its ruling, the tribunal said the project developers had failed to disclose key engineering plans and other critical information during public participation and had not adequately considered the Climate Change Act. It directed Amu Power and Nema to undertake a fresh licensing process in compliance with the law.
The project suffered a final blow when the Malindi Environment and Land Court upheld decisions that effectively halted the coal plant.
Mr Aboud Khalifa, the Amu Power Company Liaison Officer for Lamu County said the company was never given any ownership document for the Kwasasi lands.
According to Mr Khalifa, the project was stopped even before it reached the stage of the company acquiring ownership of the land.
“Once the project was stopped by the court, that’s the very time that Amu Power also closed the project venture. By that time, we hadn’t been issued with a title deed or any other document for the intended land," he explained.
The residents urged Lamu County Government administration to intervene on their behalf. Efforts to reach officials at the Lamu County lands department for comment were futile.
