Large infrastructure projects depend on more than engineering, finance and equipment. They also require an appropriate workforce structure: the right people, selected against clear standards, prepared for the operating environment and supported through the transition from construction into operations.

The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project illustrates this particularly clearly.

Situated in Marsabit County in northern Kenya, the project comprises 365 wind turbines, each with an installed capacity of 850 kW, and can provide up to 310 MW to Kenya’s national grid. Its location required substantial supporting infrastructure, including 208 kilometres of off-site roads, 130 kilometres of roads within the project area and a 438-kilometre transmission connection to the national grid.

During the project’s principal construction and operational workforce build-out, our wider group, through AltGen Kenya, was retained by Vestas to manage the recruitment and development of construction and service teams.

Project at a glance

The Lake Turkana mandate formed part of a broader working relationship with Vestas that included recruitment, outsourced employment administration, payroll, employee records, performance management and HR support across several teams and markets.

Recruiting for a remote and technically demanding project

Recruitment for Lake Turkana could not be approached as a conventional urban hiring exercise.

The project site was located in a remote part of Marsabit County, far from Kenya’s principal commercial and employment centres. Transport, accommodation, access to services and employee relocation all needed to be considered alongside technical competence.

The workforce also needed to operate within a safety-critical, international engineering environment. Employees had to understand Vestas’ technical and performance requirements while remaining capable of working effectively within the local Kenyan context.

Internal project records identify two central challenges:

1. Aligning the expectations and operating practices of an international original equipment manufacturer with Kenyan employment and workforce realities.

2. Finding appropriate local and specialist talent for a project situated in an extremely remote location.

The response therefore needed to be contextually correct, not simply technically adequate.

A two-phase workforce strategy

The engagement was delivered in two principal phases.

The first phase focused on assembling the construction team. Approximately 18 months later, the second phase supported the recruitment and selection of employees for operations and maintenance.

This phased approach was important. Construction and operations require different capabilities, working arrangements and management structures. Treating them as a single recruitment exercise would have increased the risk of poor role alignment and an unstable handover.

Roles recruited across the project included:

• Project and construction leadership

• Construction management

• Health, safety and social personnel

• Planning and contract administration

• Logistics management

• Site and office administration

• Document control

• Wind turbine service technicians

• Warehouse and maintenance personnel

• Community liaison functions

The mandate extended from senior project roles to technical, administrative and operational positions needed to keep the site functioning.

Building the recruitment framework

Before candidates could be sourced, the recruitment structure needed to be defined.

Our team developed and implemented a project-specific recruitment strategy aligned with the construction programme and Vestas’ operating standards. This included:

• Developing role profiles

• Defining key performance indicators

• Establishing performance standards

• Preparing selection criteria

• Developing structured interview questions

• Conducting screening and background checks

• Coordinating interviews with the relevant managers

Candidate interviews took place both in Nairobi and at the Lake Turkana project village. This allowed the recruitment team to assess technical competence while also considering whether candidates were suited to the realities of the site.

The complete recruitment mandate covered sourcing, screening, interviewing, assessment, offer preparation, relocation support and onboarding.

Combining specialist and local recruitment

A project of this scale required both experienced wind professionals and people drawn from the surrounding area.

Specialist wind expertise was necessary to support construction, installation and the early operations function. At the same time, local recruitment was important for building an appropriate and sustainable project workforce.

Many of the 56 candidates were recruited from the project area or had existing links to the region. Internal project records also show that a significant number of technicians were sourced locally or originated from communities near the site.

The team additionally identified and employed a local female technician as an intern, supporting greater participation in a technical field in which women have historically been underrepresented.

This local recruitment component was not treated as a separate social commitment disconnected from operational requirements. Candidates still needed to meet defined role, safety and performance standards.

Onboarding employees into the project environment

Signing an employment offer was only the beginning of the workforce process.

Employees needed to understand the project, their responsibilities, the reporting structure and the standards expected by Vestas. The onboarding programme therefore included:

• Employee induction

• Team-building activities

• Integration into Vestas’ SAP and Taleo systems

• Explanation of performance standards

• Safety alignment and coaching

• Soft-skills development

• Conflict-management support

• Team and leadership development

Service employees also received coaching intended to accelerate knowledge transfer between different groups of technicians. Management development supported continuity as individuals moved from project delivery responsibilities into more senior operational roles.

This work helped create a functioning team rather than a collection of individually qualified employees.

Supporting the transition from construction to operations

The movement from construction into operations is one of the most sensitive stages of a renewable energy project.

Construction teams are organised around deadlines, installation activity and project completion. Operations and maintenance teams must provide stability, asset availability, preventative maintenance and long-term technical continuity.

Several members of the construction workforce subsequently moved into service positions. The recruitment and development structure therefore needed to consider not only the immediate role but also the employee’s potential contribution during the operational phase.

Close coordination with the Construction Project Manager and the Service Manager helped maintain continuity during this handover.

The project outcome

The full Recruitment Process Outsourcing mandate covered 56 candidates across the construction and service functions.

Internal project records report that the mandate was:

• Completed within the agreed budget

• Delivered against the required project timeline

• Supported by structured induction and team development

• Inclusive of candidates from the local project area

• Completed with attrition below 1% across the recruited mandate

The project also transferred specialist wind experience into the East African market while creating opportunities for locally connected employees to participate in a landmark renewable energy development.

What Lake Turkana teaches us about project workforce delivery

The experience at Lake Turkana reinforced several principles that remain relevant to renewable energy and infrastructure projects across Africa.

Workforce planning must begin early

Role structures, performance standards and selection criteria should be developed alongside the project plan. Delaying workforce planning until construction is about to begin places unnecessary pressure on recruitment, onboarding and site readiness.

Local recruitment requires local understanding

Recruiting near a remote project site is not simply a matter of advertising roles locally. Skills availability, community expectations, transport, accommodation and the realities of working away from established centres must all be considered.

Onboarding is an operational process

Employees need more than contracts and induction documents. They must understand the safety culture, reporting relationships, project systems and performance expectations from the beginning.

Construction and operations require different workforce structures

The transition into operations should be planned before construction ends. Employers need to identify which employees can move into long-term roles, where additional technical capability is required and how project knowledge will be retained.

Workforce stability must be actively managed

Low attrition on a remote project is not accidental. It depends on appropriate selection, clear expectations, management support and employment conditions that reflect the operating context.

Experience that continues to inform our work

The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project was an important demonstration of what workforce delivery in Africa requires: local market knowledge, technical recruitment depth, structured onboarding and close coordination with project leadership.

The historical work was delivered by AltGen Kenya and the wider AltGen group. That experience now informs how EOR in Africa approaches Recruitment, Workforce Management and Employer of Record support for organisations operating in Kenya and across other African markets.

For businesses planning renewable energy, infrastructure or other project-based operations, the central lesson is clear: workforce infrastructure should be designed as part of the project, not added once the technical work has already begun.