The Coalition for Human Rights in Development published a report as part of a series that looks at just energy transition projects, their impacts, and the demands of affected communities in Africa and beyond. The report alleges that despite the AfDB's commitment to stakeholder engagement, renewable energy project host communities report poorly executed consultation processes. Community members often first learn about the projects during implementation. Local communities living near the Menengai geothermal fields, for instance, for years have been raising concerns about flawed consultations, poor environmental assessments, and severe air and noise pollution

The report states that the AfDB, one of the most important financial and political backers of geothermal expansion in Kenya, started investing in the Menengai field in 2011. After supporting the exploration phase led by the state-owned Geothermal Development Company (GDC), the Bank recently approved loans for two geothermal plants in the area, managed by the private power companies OrPower Twenty-Two Limited (OTTL) and Globeleq. Despite the Bank’s commitment to stakeholder engagement, residents of Menengai have described consultation processes that feel distant, inaccessible, and heavily managed. Community members recount learning about projects not through transparent engagement, but through the arrival of surveyors and valuation teams on their land. Meetings have often been held far from affected communities, requiring transport costs many residents cannot easily afford. Others describe participation processes shaped through local elites, selective invitations, or forms of pressure that blur the line between consultation and consent.

In Olkaria, where the AfDB supported the construction of multiple transmission lines, geothermal expansion has unfolded alongside conservation regimes within Hell’s Gate National Park, producing long-standing conflicts around land access, displacement, and Maasai livelihoods. Communities describe conservation and renewable energy development as working together to narrow access to land and resources. According to the report, community members allege that they have not been recognized as landowners, and they are often treated as problems to be removed rather than stakeholders with legitimate claims. In Mount Suswa, geothermal expansion remains in its earlier stages. In April 2026 the government granted GDC approval for the feasibility study, but the AfDB has already expressed interest in supporting the project. Local residents, who have closely followed the experiences of communities in Olkaria and Menengai, fear the same patterns – land dispossession, water pollution, threats to cultural heritage, and exclusion from decision-making – will repeat themselves.

African Development Bank Group, OrPower Twenty-Two Limited (OTTL), Globeleq and Geothermal Development Company did not respond