Wind and solar projects in Kenya and South Africa don’t always benefit the communities that host them – study

A new study examining wind and solar projects in Kenya and South Africa reveals a troubling pattern: while private investment in clean energy across sub-Saharan Africa approaches forty billion dollars a year, the communities that host these projects often don't share the benefits. According to The Conversation's reporting on the research, developers typically employ one of two strategies. Some offer communities ownership stakes or revenue-sharing agreements—what researchers call "buying in." Many projects, though, amount to "buying out": communities receive one-time compensation and then are cut out of long-term gains. In South Africa's government-backed renewable energy program, companies must grant local communities at least two-point-five percent ownership, yet researchers found that communities still end up worse off—benefits lag years behind construction, and compensation often arrives not as cash but as community halls and services chosen by developers, not residents. Kenya's Lake Turkana Wind Power project, Africa's largest wind farm, illustrates the same problem. Built on land used by pastoralist communities, it sparked protests and lawsuits. A Kenyan court eventually ruled that the communities' customary land rights had been violated, yet the wind farm continued operating. The core issue, researchers argue, is a fundamental mismatch: investors prioritize jobs and financial returns, while communities depend on land access for grazing, water, and cultural survival. Until developers ask communities what they value and incorporate that from the project's outset, Africa's green transition will continue displacing people rather than benefiting them.

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