The Implications of Large-Scale Infrastructure Projects to the Communities in Isiolo County: The Case of Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor

This study examined the implications of the LAPSSET project to the communities in Isiolo. In provoking the current debate on the future of rural Africa and large-scale infrastructure projects, the study examined whether the increased pressure on large scale land use change in Isiolo could become a source of conflict or not due to the presence of LAPSSET project. The purpose of this research is to create an understanding of the implications of large-scale state-drive projects even though the expectations of such projects are to improve the human conditions in the areas they are established in. This research was conducted in Isiolo North constituency, Isiolo North constituency, within two wards, namely Ngaremara and Wabera which hosts the completed Isiolo international airport and the completed Isiolo-Marsabit-Moyale road. The qualitative approach used involved in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The major findings were that LAPSSET corridor based on the two completed projects brought more harm than good to the local inhabitants of Ngaremara and Wabera wards. Most affected communities suffered land-related conflicts as a result of the intensification of land use and the new land rush going on in Wabera and Ngaremara wards. The findings also showed that the two projects have increasingly disfranchised the state and society relations as the communities interviewed felt that the LAPSSET project is a top-bottom approach which does not represent the locals. In conclusion, the study established that LAPSSET project within the two wards of study has contributed to social, economic, political, and environmental implications that have persisted several years after completion of the first two projects. Therefore, this research recommends that the state should embrace corporate social responsibility approach along the corridor to minimize social conflicts across the pastoralist lands.