“The government is fully behind it. It is only the issues of the environment and acceptability by some of the locals that are outstanding, both of which are being addressed by NEMA [Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority].
“The locals who are against it are livestock keepers who feel they will lose out on grazing land, a case of misguided priorities.”
Although no British company has so far confirmed any involvement in the project, it is very likely that the company will receive backing from the West.
“We are yet to solicit for international funding”, says Mr Omuyoma, “but I doubt whether this will be a difficult issue. Funding should be readily available considering the viability of the project and the continued escalation of world oil prices.”
And, even though the RTFO specifies that biofuel has to be produced sustainably, a loophole in the current regulation means the biofuel will be likely to end up in British cars after all – because, if suppliers claim an “unknown origin” for their biofuels, they are currently still eligible for a renewable fuel certificate.
If the EU goes ahead with its target of 10% biofuel use by 2020, then similar situations could soon arise around the globe. According to campaign group biofuelwatch, around 150,000 families in Argentina and 90,000 families in Paraguay have already been displaced to make way for large-scale soya production.
Another British company, D1 Oils, announced in April that they will close their UK refineries and invest heavily in jatropha plantations in Indonesia instead.
“We believe it is necessary to develop alternative non-food sources of feedstock, jatropha being the first one that we’ve pioneered”, says communications director Graham Prince.
“Although food-grade oils have been okay for supplying biodiesel in the interim, in the long term they are not going to work. And jatropha doesn’t grow on prime arable land, it doesn’t need that sort of ground. You can grow it on poorer soils. That’s why we don’t really see jatropha as having a negative impact on food supply.”