Kenya biofuel project stirs controversy

TANA DELTA, Kenya (Reuters) – In a clearing on Kenya’s coastal grasslands, a group of nomadic herders shout down government officials who have flown in from Nairobi to explain the benefits of a proposed $350 million sugar project.

“If the delta is planted with sugar, we will run out of grazing land for our cattle,” local community leader Bile Bundit says. Others wave placards at the flustered officials sitting in a makeshift tent made from wooden poles and sack-cloth.

Earlier this month, Kenya’s High Court ordered a temporary halt to the project pending a judicial review of its impact. But the government is determined to overcome that hurdle.

Reuters