Lamu fishermen to receive Sh1.1b compensation as KPA completes verification

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has completed the verification process of over 4,400 Lamu fishermen who are set to receive compensation after they were displaced to pave the way for the construction of Lamu Port.

The authority has confirmed 4,443 fishermen are set to receive compensation, totalling Sh1.1 billion in the first week of June this year as directed by the court following a rigorous verification process.

The government has been struggling to verify genuine locals who were disrupted both culturally and economically by the Sh25 billion Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) project.

Despite the court directive, almost seven years have now passed without compensation but the signing of the Lapsset Fishermen Compensation Agreement early this month gave a ray of hope for the fishermen to receive their money after both parties agreed to settle the matter out of court.

The verification culminates after seven years of waiting where the majority of the fishermen and boat owners will get Sh241,714 from 65 per cent of the total Lamu compensation amount allocated for cash compensation.

“The compensation process commenced a few years with the validation and verification process, including confirmation of ID and bank account details, after which a total of 4,167 out of the 4,734 fisherfolks were slated to sign compensation agreements,” said KPA managing director Captain William Ruto.

“The remaining 567 were categorized as disputed list. However, the compensation process was abruptly halted following the intervention of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which had received complaints that some of the fishermen/boat owners were allegedly not eligible for payment but the investigative body came up with a list of 429 fishermen and boat owners who had been left out and who it deemed to be genuine,” he added.

Verification exercise

The payment comes a few weeks after the Court of Appeal in Malindi directed that the parties involved conduct a verification exercise of the ineligible and genuine fishermen and boat owners.

Following the court's direction, a task force comprising various entities was convened to undertake the verification process, which was undertaken from March 24 to May 5 this year.

The verification exercise was largely successful. From the undisputed list of 4,167 fishermen, a total of 3,991 have now signed the necessary agreements and are confirmed to be eligible for cash compensation.

Additionally, from the disputed list of 567 fishermen, 164 individuals have been verified and deemed qualified for cash compensation. That makes it a total of 4,155 fisherfolks.

The Taskforce has since confirmed that there are another 288 fishermen who have been verified and are expected to sign the agreements soon, and this therefore means that the total number of eligible fishermen to be compensated is expected to be 4,443.

The successful conclusion of the verification process marks a significant milestone in ensuring that justice is served for the fishermen who have long awaited their compensation.

The efforts of all parties involved, including the Kenya Ports Authority, office of Attorney General, County Government of Lamu, Beach Management Units, Save Lamu, and the EACC have been instrumental in facilitating a transparent and fair process that upholds the rights of the fishermen.

As the compensation process moves forward, it is hoped that this positive outcome will bring a sense of relief and closure to the fishermen and their families, allowing them to move forward with renewed hope.

Meanwhile, the taskforce has plans to commence the implementation of the second phase of compensation (35 per cent which is Sh600 million) expected to empower the fisherfolks for sustainable development programs.