Mongabay · Climate & nature

Kenyan Nuclear Project Faces Legal Challenge Over Security and Environmental Risks

A legal case has been filed at the East African Court of Justice challenging Kenya's plan to construct a nuclear power plant near Lake Victoria, citing significant environmental and security concerns.

The proposed 2,000-5,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in Bondo, near Africa's largest freshwater lake, has faced local protests. A 2023 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) report by Kenya's nuclear program advised against locating nuclear power in the Lake Victoria region due to volcanic hazards, yet the project is proceeding.

Dickens Ochieng, a local resident and human rights lawyer, filed the case on two grounds: questioning the project's ecological and environmental risks in the Lake Victoria region and demanding a transboundary environmental impact assessment, as the lake is shared by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Lake Victoria is vital for approximately 40 million people across three countries for livelihoods, food, and drinking water. Pollution could impact the 11 countries of the Nile Basin, raising questions about consultation with and agreement from these nations.

Ochieng also raised national security concerns, referencing attacks on nuclear facilities in Ukraine and Iran, and the threat of Al-Shabaab in Kenya, questioning the security implications of a nuclear plant near the lake.

The petition further accuses the Kenyan government of inadequate consultation with local communities and failure to propose mitigation measures for the Lake Victoria basin. The government has 45 days to respond.

Lake Victoria, also known as "Darwin’s Dreampond," supports hundreds of endemic species, with about 76% currently threatened with extinction.

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