Using the law to protect fisheries in Lamu, Kenya

The document details how the Lamu Port Three Berth Project and a proposed 1050Mw coal plant in Kwasasi threaten the livelihoods of thousands of fishers in Lamu, Kenya. It highlights the environmental impacts of these projects, including water turbidity from dredging and thermal pollution from cooling systems, and describes the legal actions taken by Natural Justice, Save Lamu, and the Katiba Institute to secure compensation and challenge project approvals.

• The Lamu Port Three Berth Project, started in October 2016, displaced approximately 4734 local fishers from their fishing grounds. These fishers are unable to use alternative areas due to their rudimentary equipment and have seen reduced catch sizes because of water turbidity caused by dredging, which resulted from non-compliance with the law and EIA license conditions.
• Legal action taken by Natural Justice, Save Lamu, and the Katiba Institute against the Lamu Port project resulted in a June court ruling in favor of the fishers, ordering compensation and remanding the EIA license to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) for re-consideration, although compensation has not yet been paid.
• A proposed 1050Mw coal plant in the Kwasasi ecosystem of Lamu County poses several environmental risks: the use of a cooling system that releases thermal water back into the sea, which would damage the marine ecosystem and affect the Dodori National Reserve; and a 15km open conveyor belt for coal transport that would pass through mangrove forests, causing coal dust pollution.
• The proposed coal plant site is located within 60m of the coast high-water mark, which violates Kenya's Survey Regulations.

APA

Salim, S. (2018). Using the law to protect fisheries in Lamu, Kenya. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/using-the-law-to-protect-fisheries-in-lamu-kenya/

Chicago

Salim, Said. Using the law to protect fisheries in Lamu, Kenya. Natural Justice, 2018. https://naturaljustice.org/using-the-law-to-protect-fisheries-in-lamu-kenya/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Salim |first1=Said |title=Using the law to protect fisheries in Lamu, Kenya |publisher=Natural Justice |date=26 November 2018 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/using-the-law-to-protect-fisheries-in-lamu-kenya/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{salim2018using, author = {Salim, Said}, title = {{Using the law to protect fisheries in Lamu, Kenya}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/using-the-law-to-protect-fisheries-in-lamu-kenya/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }