President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto (right) and Tourism CS Najib Balala (checkered shirt). [Photo/ Courtesy]
It's poignant that when President Uhuru Kenyatta campaigned for votes with his deputy William Ruto and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najob Balala in North Coast, no Jubilee official mentioned that the first Coal Fired Power Plant (CFPP) will be built in 30 months in concert with Lamu Power, not far from where they bellowed optimistic campaign promises to the packed crowed in front of the Lamu Fort, in Lamu Town, a Unesco World Heritage Site on May 24, 2017.The crowd was excited by their presence, as this forgotten county, historically receives the smallest allotment from the Nairobi-based Treasury, and is severely disadvantaged by shoddy healthcare and poor schools.Kenyatta and Balala hide their commitment to big business and the people of Lamu Town will soon be shocked to find poisonous winds carrying toxic gasses filled with arsenic, sulphur, carbon dioxide, and mercury blowing from the chimney of the power plant to Mokowe and Lamu Island itself. Why place this dirty mess in this pristine fishing village that sustains itself by tourism when there is ample coal in Mui Basin, Kitua County? How could Balala state he's confident of increased tourism numbers, when 50 such coal plants are planned to be built on Kenya soil?