Kenya;the Sondu-Miriu Hydropower Project
Report of the site inspection by Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(July 6,2001)
The ODA to Kenya Sondu Miriu Hydropower Project.
(Report of the site inspection [June 16-20]
by Mr. Kitano, Chief of the Section of Cooperative Loans.)
1. Outline.
To assure the current situation and to understand variable opinions with regard to the this project, the site inspection, the interviews with local residents, NGO members, and volunteers, a hearing among the members of the Technical Committee, the press, and the NGO members, and the exchange of opinions with the Government of Kenya and the organs concerned were undertaken.
2. Outcome.
(1) Interviews with local residents and NGO members regarding this project.
-There was no supporter, even the parties who had been against this project, of the cancellation of this project, About two-third of the questionees answered that the Project should be carried out, although there were some environmental problems.
-Moreover, the NGOs and the parties concerned that had been most critical to the Project clarified their positions as zealous supporters of the Project and indicated that the Project should be carried out, in an effort to meet the environmental problems.
(2) Environmental and Social Problems.
Various environmental and social problems were raised by local residents and members of the NGOs.
(i) Due to the importance of the problem, the following matter should be confirmed: the assurance and the maintenance of the effectiveness and the neutrality of local consultations and the Technical Committee.
(ii) Appropriate measures should be taken with regard to the following matters, throughout the stages of the Project: various problems that were pointed out; e.g. reparation, employment, damage on health, maintenance of the water level of the river.
Besides, a few other problems that had been raised included; the problems whose existences and factual relations were to be re-ascertained; the problems against which measures should be examined aside from this project.
(3) Evaluation of the Public Consultation and the Technical Committee.
Many people evaluated highly the roles of public consultations and the Technical Committee, although requests to improve the operations of these in fact exist.
3. Prospective Measures.
Environmental and social measures prepared by Kenya and the arguments raised in the public consultation of July 6 2001 should be prioritized. Additional ODA to this project will continue to be examined in consideration of the outcome of this investigation.
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