Amidst so many devastating headlines around the world, I’m writing from Nairobi about an important win for environmental justice and human rights — with a renewed faith in the power of the people.
After a legal struggle that has lasted nine years, a high court in Kenya just ruled against Amu Power — a corporation vying to build a coal-fired power plant on the northern coast of Kenya, against the will of the local communities whose health, livelihoods, land and water would be forever damaged.
With this ruling, plans to build the power plant are permanently cancelled. It took an entire movement of people to achieve this victory, and AJWS partners were at the center of it all.
These partners — lawyers, activists, community organizers and more — devoted years to defending this fragile coastline and the people who live there. But this is not a Kenyan celebration alone: it is yours, too. The fight for environmental justice is a global struggle. We are in this fight together — victory belongs to us all.
This moment is a decade in the making.
Kenya has, for years, been ramping up development, including deep seaports, power plants, and oil refineries — with little consideration for the communities already living there. In 2014, we learned of plans for a coal-fired power plant near Lamu, an island with a unique ecosystem that’s home to the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in all of East Africa — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
AJWS partners in Kenya, including local organization Save Lamu, formed a coalition to fight this project — and the deCOALonize campaign was born. Myself and other AJWS colleagues helped form and strengthen this movement, and in 2019 we won an enormous victory: a lower court revoked the license that our government had given Amu Power to build the plant, stating that the company had not consulted the local community as part of its environmental impact assessment — a constitutional requirement. They had downplayed how damaging the project would be to the environment, and people’s health — and ignored public outcry.
Amu Power waited five years but appealed the decision in late 2024. We sprang back into action.
Our partner Katiba Institute led the litigation on behalf of Lamu’s community, and deCOALonize launched a public awareness campaign to rally Kenyans to the cause. Newspapers, TV and social media were filled with stories about Lamu — and the coal plant that could damage it.
The judgement was delayed twice — this year has truly been a rollercoaster ride for our partners and the people of Lamu. But, at long last, the appellant court shot down Amu Power’s appeal and blocked further appeals. The proposed coal plant is dead.
This judgment sends a powerful message of hope and solidarity to other movements in Africa and around the world that are fighting back against projects that put profit over people.
I noted above that this victory belongs to us all. Don’t just take that from me. These are the words of Doreen Onyango, the coordinator of deCOALonize: “This win would not have been possible without your support. We are very grateful that you’ve continued to walk with us and our partners.”
This work is not easy, and victories do not come overnight. But together, we can create change. And we can achieve justice.