Dislocation of settled communities in the development process: the case of Kiambere Hydroelectric Project
Mburugu, E.K.
World Bank Technical Paper 227: 49-58
1994
Document Number: 284609
The paper describes the problems that are often associated with involuntary movements of people to allow for a project to be constructed. At the Kiambere Dam, in Kenya, an estimated 6500 people were displaced. The policy on resettlement in Kenya provides that when the government acquires privately owned land, the owners will be compensated in cash for all immovable assets on the land. The government provides services such as roads, water, schools, health centres, security, in the areas where displaced people are resettled. The paper examines the shortcomings of this policy in relation to the Kiambere Hydroelectric Project, and the lessons that can be learned from the project. These include reviewing the existing laws on resettlement, ensuring that land is made available for displaced persons, involving resettlers in decisions on resettlement issues and devising ways of handling the host population.