LOCALS PROTEST OVER ESTABLISHMENT OF CUMMINS POWER PLANT By Nicholas Kiptoon Barely eight months since the launch of Cummins Cogeneration Plant in Marigat sub-county of Baringo county, residents are up in arms over the citing low prices at which the company buys the logs and the location so to project location which is a bit far from source of the logs. The plant that is expected to produce bio-electricity using the Prosopis Juliflora, a kind of an exotic tree that has for a long time been a source of social economic problem claiming most parts of the land in the area including road reserves besides killing livestock through the decay of the teeth and its seeds growing while still in the stomach chambers of the animals. What bothers the residents is the alleged politicizing of the power plant site that was, according to them, had been decided to be built within parts Loboi location as it borders six other locations that the Juliflora has covered. The residents thus demonstrated demanding that the plant be rebuilt in the said Loboi location as it is close to the trees hence cushioning the farmers off the transporting costs. They performed a ritual to curse any member of their own Ilchamus community who would supply his or her trees to the energy factory, they unanimously declined to supply it. They also lamented bitterly on the price per kilo of the tree supplied that costs only Ksh 1.60, translating to Ksh 1600/ tonne that this price was too low bearing in mind that the 60 cents would be shared with the Community Based Organization (CBO). The cummins cogeneration energy plant was launched in the 28th January 2014, in collaboration of the county government of Baringo, USAID and Cummins, a UK based organization.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 11:47:31 +0000
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