Lamu residents have reached a breaking point. Years after the launch of the Ksh3.1 trillion LAPSSET corridor, families displaced by the mega project say the government and project authorities have ignored their pain.
Promised compensation never arrived. Jobs went elsewhere. Community voices faded from key decisions. Now, locals want action, not speeches. They want land justice, real employment, and a seat at the table before more phases of the project move forward. Their message is blunt.
Development without justice is theft. Residents voiced these demands during a public meeting with LAPSSET stakeholders held in Mokowe on January 22, 2026. The anger in the room reflected years of frustration and broken promises.
LAPSSET Project Compensation Stalls as Displaced Families Wait in Limbo
The call for LAPSSET Project compensation dominates every discussion in Lamu today. Families displaced by port construction, access roads, and related infrastructure say authorities took their land but failed to pay them.
Residents recall firm promises made in 2020. LAPSSET officials assured landowners that compensation would be paid within three months. That timeline collapsed. Five years later, many families still hold empty hands.
Some landowners cannot access their former parcels due to project restrictions. Others lost farming and fishing livelihoods without alternatives. The delays have pushed households into poverty and uncertainty.
Famao Idd Famao, a long-time resident, captured the mood on the ground. He said authorities promised payment but disappeared once construction started. His family, like many others, now survives without clarity on when or whether compensation will come.
Local leaders accuse project managers of sidelining communities while fast-tracking contractors. Residents insist they support development, but they reject development built on broken agreements.
They want all outstanding compensation cases audited, verified, and paid before any new LAPSSET components roll out in the county. To them, compensation is not a favour. It is a constitutional right.
Youth Demand Jobs Not Promises in the LAPSSET Corridor
Beyond land compensation, unemployment fuels growing resentment. Locals say the LAPSSET corridor has created opportunities, but outsiders benefit most.
Youth leaders argue that construction jobs, port operations, security roles, and logistics work should prioritise host communities. They accuse contractors of importing labour while local youth watch from the sidelines.
Mama Amina, a resident of Mokowe, said the project should secure the future of local children. She stressed that LAPSSET must offer long-term employment, not short-term casual labour.
Residents want clear employment quotas written into project contracts. They also want skills training to prepare youth for technical and professional roles within the corridor.
Without these guarantees, many fear LAPSSET will pass through Lamu without lifting the people who sacrificed the most.
Women Push for Fair and Meaningful Employment
Women leaders have added their voices to the growing protest. They say the project continues to marginalise women despite repeated pledges of inclusion.
Most women who find work earn low wages in informal roles such as cleaning or food vending. Community leaders say this pattern locks women out of decision-making and economic power.
Local women demand gender parity across all employment levels. They want access to skilled jobs, supervisory roles, and procurement opportunities.
An area leader told the meeting that women possess the skills and education needed to contribute meaningfully. She said authorities must stop treating women as an afterthought.
For them, fair employment forms part of the broader LAPSSET Project Compensation debate. True compensation includes dignity, income, and opportunity.
The LAPSSET Corridor Program remains one of Africa’s most ambitious infrastructure projects. It aims to open Northern Kenya, reduce reliance on the Northern Corridor, and provide shorter trade routes for Ethiopia and South Sudan.
The project covers ports, highways, rail, pipelines, energy, and new cities. It promises over one million jobs and massive regional trade growth. The government has also aligned it with President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which champions inclusive growth.
Yet in Lamu, residents say reality clashes with policy language. They warn that unresolved compensation claims and job exclusion threaten long-term stability.
As construction continues, locals insist that justice must come first. They want compensation paid, jobs reserved, and community voices respected. Until that happens, the LAPSSET dream will remain incomplete in the very place where it began.
