The only reason I think of for having a coal plant in Lamu is the opportunity to loot from public coffers. There's absolutely no strategic, economic or environmental reason for such a bone-headed decision other than corruption.
A thread.
Here's China's power production outlook
A thread.
Here's China's power production outlook
Here's Britain's total annual electrical energy mix by source. The continued and growing dependence on Natural Gas bodes very well for countries like Tanzania and Mozambique with significant proven natural gas deposits. It's clean and supply can be adjusted at will.
The US exhibits a pattern similar to GB's. This is historical power generation trends as reported by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). There's a clear decline in coal power production which is what sparked Trump's "bring coal jobs back" nonsense.
According to the EIA, Renewables will be the fastest growing energy source globally between 2015 and 2040. Consumption of all other energy sources is expected to increase in the period, except for coal, whose demand is expected to remain flat.
