Since 2012, the Kenyan government has begun commissioning work on the Lamu Port and South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (Corridor) project, commonly known as LAPSSET. The corridor, which consists of road, railway and new port facilities, promises to radically alter the landscape of northern Kenya—a historically marginalized region.

Communities living in the corridor have raised concerns about the project’s potential negative impact on the environment, their livelihood systems and culture. Meanwhile, local residents, as well as people from across the country, are also anticipating the potential benefits that the corridor may bring. This has stimulated competition between different groups, and the government, to gain control over land and other resources.

On 14 February 2019, the Rift Valley Forum will host a panel discussion to disseminate a new report —Participation, Voice and Governance in Investment Corridors in Africa: the case of the Lamu Port and South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor Project, LAPSSET—produced by the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies of the University of Western Cape, in partnership with the Agricultural Policy Research in Africa Programme. The report examines the extent to which smallholder farmers, fishers, women and youth have been included in the implementation of LAPSSET, and its potential impact on these communities.

The study aims to create an evidence-based assessment of implicit or explicit barriers that prevent smallholders, women and youth from the decision-making processes involving the design and implementation of corridors.

Moderator

Hussein Mahmoud
Technical University of Mombasa

Presenter

Ngala Chome
Durham University

Panelists

Somo Abu Somo
Lamu County Beach Management Unit

Raya Famao Ahmed
Sauti Ya Wanawake, Lamu County Chapter

Peter Mungai
Lake Kenyatta Farmers’ Cooperative Society

Umulkher Athman
Lamu Youth Alliance