Maseno University put Kenya's nuclear power plan under the microscope on Friday, hosting a town hall at its Kisumu Hotel in Kisumu County with the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NUPEA), KenGen, civil society and academics in the room.

The questions from the floor went straight to Lake Victoria. A participant asked what heated water discharged into the lake would do to dissolved oxygen levels and aquatic life, and calls followed for planners to work directly with Lake Region universities on independent environmental studies and computational modelling.

NUPEA chairman Prof. Eng. Lawrence Gumbe welcomed locally driven research. "We encourage researchers to develop their ideas into concrete research proposals that can attract support," he said, according to People Daily's report of the meeting.

Maseno's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration, Finance and Development), Prof. David Ongarora, said academics must approach the debate objectively. "Independent, evidence-based research is vital in determining our country's true preparedness to pursue nuclear power," he said.

Officials at the meeting said any necessary relocation would require a comprehensive Resettlement Action Plan, with an independent consultant assessing the socioeconomic implications.

KenGen's presentation identified the roles universities could play: curriculum development, research partnerships, internships and technical training. The meeting proposed a steering committee and a Nuclear Liaison Office at Maseno's Kisumu Campus. Both remain proposals — neither has been confirmed as constituted.

The town hall matters beyond the lecture hall because the proposed plant site is in Siaya County, and the lake questions raised in Kisumu are the questions Siaya fishing communities will live with.

What we could not verify: the proposed plant's exact site, capacity or timeline — none was stated in the report of the meeting; any government response to the town hall's questions; whether the liaison office or steering committee has been constituted. No match-style photographs beyond the participants photo were found.

Sources: People Daily, 1 November 2026, 09:21 EAT (town hall report, read in full): https://peopledaily.digital/news/maseno-university-forum-raises-questions-over-kenyas-nuclear-power-plans