Despite Orma protests, the Kenyan government, over the weekend of December 18,
approved a project headed by the Tana and Athi River Development Authority (Tarda)
that will cultivate a fast-growing sugarcane variety on the banks of the River
Tana. Orma pastoralists predict the project will cause the deaths of up to 1
million cows due to starvation and will decrease habitat for wild animals in
the region. The Orma consider the area to be their customary grazing land. President
Mwai Kibaki has been unsympathetic to the protests of the Orma, arguing that
the project will not affect them economically.
