Development of dams along Ethiopia’s Omo River may reduce water flow into Lake Turkana, the largest alkaline lake in the world that also supports several indigenous communities and a World Heritage Site. Much of Lake Turkana lies within Kenya. The Lake Turkana Community Trust is a grassroots organization that fosters social, economic, and environmental justice in the Lake Turkana Basin. When the Kenyan government entered into a power purchase agreement to buy 500 megawatts of electricity from Ethiopia, the Trust sued on behalf of the communities seeking information about the power purchase agreement. Kenya’s Environment and Land Court found that the government has “a duty to establish that no environmental harm arises from the [electricity] agreements” and projects with the Ethiopian government. Further, “as trustees of the environment and natural resources [the Kenyan government] [owes] a duty and obligation to the [communities] to ensure that the resources of Lake Turkana are sustainably managed, utilized and conserved, and to exercise the necessary precautions in preventing environmental harm that may arise from the agreements and projects entered into with the Government of Ethiopia in this regard.” The Court ordered the government and power purchasers to disclose all relevant information and to take all steps necessary to ensure that the resources of Lake Turkana are used sustainably and conserved in any agreements with the government of Ethiopia regarding the purchase of electricity.

Country
Kenya