WASHINGTON and NAIROBI, February 6, 2014 — The World Bank is concerned about reports on the plight of the people currently being evicted in the Embobut Forest and Cherangany Hills areas of Kenya.
The World Bank is not linked to these evictions and nor has the World Bank ever supported evictions through its development financing of Kenya’s Natural Resources Management Project (NRMP) which closed on June 30, 2013.
The World Bank stands ready to assist the Government of Kenya with its development advice drawing on its local and global project experiences, and to share best practices in resettlement in line with its safeguard policies. These seek to improve or restore the living standards of people affected by involuntary resettlement.
The World Bank is committed to complete openness and transparency in all its operations.
Prior to the project closing, community complaints about the NRMP have led to an investigation by the World Bank’s independent Inspection Panel. The Inspection Panel, which reports to the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors, is expected to complete its investigation in the first quarter of 2014.
The Panel’s findings and Management Response will then be discussed by the Bank's Board and the decision will be announced publicly through a press release and the respective reports will be publicly disclosed. Full details of the Request for Inspection and Bank Management’s Response on the NRMP are available online at the Inspection Panel website, www.inspectionpanel.org
The World Bank works closely with the Kenyan government and the country’s communities to achieve higher economic growth, create more jobs, improve food and energy, support better health care and, help protect the environment, while delivering better development prospects for all Kenyans.
