Lamu port deal: Kenya to sell Tana Delta land

However, despite the acknowledged environmental importance of the area, the Kenyan government knows that a deal to lease the land in return for the construction of docks in Lamu could entail considerable economic benefits, not the least of which would be opening up the possibility of an easier trade route through to Ethiopia and southern Sudan.

The Kenyan government owns nearly 500,000 hectares of uncultivated land in the delta and is keen to make economic use of it despite environmentalists’ concerns.

But the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has warned that there could be serious consequences if African governments continue to sell off valuable land at a time of growing international food shortages.

It pointed out that a recent scheme by Gulf companies in Sudan showed limited local benefits, with much of the specialist labour and farming inputs imported.