Law enforcement officers on Tuesday, July 4, sent a warning to locals planning to block the Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant in Naivasha.
Addressing the aggrieved residents, the area law enforcement officers noted that blocking the project, whose three phases cost Ksh62 billion, will attract punitive penalties.
The police officers, who organised a public engagement forum with Olkaria residents, indicated that blocking phase five of the geothermal project will be treated as sabotage.
"Starting today, I don't want to get reports that anyone has stopped this government project. Anyone found culpable will be apprehended and charged in court," the area police boss stated.
"We cannot allow them to sabotage the project," he insisted.
The local authority expressed the sentiments after residents announced that they will contest the project if they miss employment opportunities.
"We ask the government to ensure that locals are given priority in the labour force of this project. Let them consider others after employing our people," one resident demanded.
Reacting to their concern, the local authority assured the residents that the government had signed deals with the constructors to prioritise offering jobs to locals.
"We have said that the locals will get the highest share of the employment opportunities offered," another officer stated.
The Olkaria project has a total of 139MW installed capacity and is located in the Hell’s Gate National Park in Olkaria region of Kenya. The first three phases cost Ksh62 billion.
Olkaria geothermal project was championed to help Kenya increase its power capacity and reduce over-reliance on electricity.
The Kenyan Government initially explored the area for geothermal resources in the 1980s. Once geothermal potential was established, an international public tender process was initiated, which the private energy firm won.
Besides Olkaria, Kenya attracted UK investors who announced a bid to bankroll the construction of the Menengai Power Plant in Nakuru.
The projects align with President William Ruto's plan to transform the country into becoming the region's leading clean energy producer.
On Tuesday, June 20, the President offered to give investors free chopper rides to view the projects in order to invest in them.
“Lake Turkana wind power project has a capacity of 310 megawatts and is the largest in our continent. The CS will arrange to take you to Olkaria. I suggest he also puts together a plane to take people to this great project," Ruto stated during the 25th Africa Energy Forum in Nairobi.
