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Millions of tonnes of timber and sand that will be used in the controversial affordable housing project will have adverse effects on the environment according to environmentalists.
Stakeholders are now calling for strategic environmental assessment (SEA) to determine the probable impact of the programme on communities and the environment.
The multi-billion project which has been suspended by the courts has met condemnation from across the country but the government has defended it terming it as one source of employment.
According to members of the National Environment Civil Society Alliance of Kenya (NECSA Kenya), the government was focusing on job creation but ignoring the effects on the environment.
The alliance Chair Dominic Walubengo termed the project as capital intensive noting that tonnes of sand and timber would be needed across the country.
He said that this would put at risk the country’s forest cover at a time when the government and stakeholders had invested millions in planting thousands of seedlings.
“The housing project will need timber, sand and water in huge bulk but the government has failed to address this and is concerned with revenue and job creation,” he said over the weekend.
He said that the affordable housing bill of 2023 should be taken through a strategic environmental assessment (SEA), to determine the probable impact of the programme on communities and the environment.
“Infrastructure development places immense pressure on the environment due to the demand for natural resources such as water, sand, land, timber, and quarry stones,” he said in Naivasha.
On her part, Winnie Tubei called for an environmental assessment before the projects were carried out while wondering where the massive resources would come from.
She wondered how sustainable the multi-billion project was at a time when the country was grappling with the effects of climate change.
“This is a major infrastructure project that could have massive effects on the environment and thousands of people across the country,” she said.
A member of the alliance Moses Siro said that the bill had grey areas noting that the rich could be the major beneficiaries of the project.
“The bill should make sure that these houses have adequate and clean sources of energy like solar and water as part of addressing sanitation issues,” he said.
This was echoed by High Court advocate Brian Onderi who welcomed the ruling by the Court of Appeal adding that the Bill should now encompass environmental views.
by GEORGE MURAGE