By Khalifa Hemed
Published December 18, 2018
Kenyan authorities are harassing and intimidating environmental rights activists in Lamu on the Indian Ocean coast.
In a 69-page report titled They Just Want to Silence Us: Abuses Against Environmental Activists at Kenya’s Coast Region released in the capital, Nairobi, on December 17, Human Rights Watch and National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders-Kenya say police and the military are harassing and intimidating environmental rights activists over an infrastructure project called Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor (LAPSSET).
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Urging Kenyan authorities to ‘uphold international standards for ensuring human rights in the context of development’, the report documents the obstacles activists face in speaking out publicly about their concerns on the impact of LAPSSET and other development projects in Lamu County in the Coast region.
As the Kenyan government moves ahead with implementation of what is touted as being the largest transport infrastructure in eastern Africa, communities in the area and organisations supporting them have become increasingly vocal about the adverse health and environmental impacts of the projects.
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“Kenyan authorities should focus on addressing the environmental and health concerns relating to the LAPSSET development project instead of harassing the activists who raise the issues,” says Otsieno Namwaya, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Silencing activists isn’t going to resolve the concerns over whether the government plans are going to harm the environment and the people living there.”
LAPSSET envisions a 32-berth seaport in Lamu, three international airports, road and railway network, three resort cities, and a coal-fired power plant.
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“The government brands activists who speak against the project as terrorists,” the report quotes a 32-year-old teacher at the forefront of organising community meetings on the environmental effects of LAPSSET as having said. “Police arrest, detain, and even interrogate activists in a bid to intimidate them.”
The response of the Government to Lamu activists, says Kamau Ngugi, Executive Director of National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders-Kenya, is a test case for Kenya to uphold and protect rights in the context of large-scale development projects. Kenyan authorities have an obligation to respect the role of activists and to uphold the rights outlined in international treaties.”
