Resettlement Implementation in Water Projects: A Case of Northern Collector Tunnel Murang'a County

Abstract

Water projects are large-scale initiatives that invest in local solutions to solve regional water crises. Large-scale water projects threaten livelihood and disrupt communities due to the demand for large tracts of land (Walelign & Lujala, 2022). Despite conducting a social impact assessment, water projects carry unexpected twists that may extend for years. The aim of this study was to examine resettlement implementation in water projects.The paper focused on Murang’a Northern Collector tunnel at Murang’a County in Kenya through an ex-post facto design with descriptive survey analysis. The project took several years to complete and involved significant construction such as excavations and tunneling of broad tracts of the land. The total land affected by Phase 1 was about 10.766 acres disrupting around 747 people (World Bank Group, 2019).The findings of this study established that similar to other major water projects like the Akosombo Dam in Ghana, affected persons were dissatisfied with the resettlement process.Stakeholders complained of delayed and insufficient compensation, lack of access to water in the project area, and limited public participation.This paper utilized random sampling, structured questionnaires, and key informant interviews to collect data. A sample of 261 respondents was used to draw conclusions. The study utilized livelihood restoration scores, land acquisition issues scores, people-centered practice scores, and risk mitigation scores to examine the relationship between resettlement and water project success. The correlation coefficient for the study was R=0.886 with P<0.001, F=163.550, and adjusted R2=0.779. This indicated that the regression model was statistically significant and resettlement implementation contributes to variation in project outcomes. In examining the individual variables most of the participants disagree or strongly disagree they were satisfied with resettlement. The paper proposed the need for policy change, adequate multi-stakeholder engagement and multiple delivery partner engagement in the preparation of resettlement action plans and harmonization of valuation for fair compensation for land acquired during projects and livelihood restoration.