Senator alleges Turkana yet to benefit from oil exploration

Residents of Turkana county are yet to benefit from the discovery and exploration of oil by the Tullow Oil Company for the last 13 years.

According to Turkana Senator James Lomenen, the host community is yet to get its five percent share while the County government is also yet to get its 20 percent share from the proceeds obtained by the company.

Yesterday, Lomenen charged the host community was still suffering despite having the precious commodity worth billions of shillings within their neighbourhood.

While on a tour of the Tullow Oil Company premises at Lokichar in Turkana South, Lomenen said Tullow Oil has not engaged the local leaders and that the community have not been told about the cost of the project.

“I would like to tell the Senate Energy committee that the local community has not been involved in the activities of Tullow oil neither have they benefitted with its presence in this region, the locals have not been compensated for the land occupied by the company,” said Lomenen.

Boni Khalwale (Kakamega) said research done showed that Turkana County has the potential of producing 585 million barrels of crude oil that is likely to fetch Sh52 billion, adding that the financial benefits for the people of the local community and the entire country should be known. According to Khalwale, the government engineers need to be part of the team carrying out the exploration exercise so that they can give the true operational standards of the company since at the moment the company activities were shrouded in a mystery and nobody can confirm the true position.

“We would like to know how the people of Turkana and the entire country will benefit by having the oil exploration exercise by Tullow oil in the country. This company must come out clearly and tell us how our people are going to benefit while it is in their county, this should be clear to all,” said Khalwale.

Wahome Wamatinga (Nyeri) said that the financial soundness of Tullow Oil Company was shrouded in a mystery while there are no details of the crude oil that had already been sold by the company while there was little public participation in its activities matters which he said are of great concern.

Wamatinga said that the Senate Energy committee will liaise with the relevant government agencies to ensure that the discovery of oil in the country does not turn into a curse for the local residents who felt that the project was not benefiting them since the company set up its operations in the country in 2010.

According to Wamatinga, his committee will be looking for the best practices globally in oil exploration and that they would also like to know the strategy the company is putting in place to attract funding from international finance institutions and also the validity of their operating license.

“Tullow Oil has not come out clearly on the validity of its operating license, we are also aware that some local partners withdrew due to strategic reasons, we would also follow up on the government plan to ensure the company honours its obligations to the local community and the country,” said Wamatinga.

Danson Mungatana (Tana River) asked the company to state what it has in store for the residents of Turkana, Marsabit and Isiolo Counties where it has set up its operations and wanted to know the goodwill paid to the residents of the three counties who had many expectations.

Oburu Oginga (Siaya) wondered why the company was taking too long to carry out oil exploration.

 “Is it the government bureaucracy that is slowing down its operation? The company needs to come out clearly to state why its activities appears to stagnate,” posed Oburu.

On his part, Tullow Oil External Affairs Manager Franklin Juma told the Senate Committee that the company was looking for international financial institutions to pump in around Sh518 million so that it can be able to achieve the targets it has set for 25 years strategic plan in the country.

mum of 300 kilometers of good clean water piping in every ward,” he said.

The program, spearheaded by the Department of Water, Environmental and Natural Resources and our eight water companies, will see the establishment of more than 8,000 water connections, ensuring that about 15,000 households are served with the precious commodity.

He said that the county government has also bought water tanks which will be supplied to ECDE centers in the county and reservoirs of some of the water projects the county is doing to ensure they encourage kiambu people to harvest water

Wamatangi at the same time disclosed that out of all the 8 water companies in Kiambu County, only two of them are running a viable and profitable water company.

“Only two water companies in the county are running smoothly, the others are just but surviving through the mercies of God. If they were private companies they could have been auctioned by now, because they are not making money,” he said.

He added that his administration has agreed with the water companies that they need to change how they run tge business of water distribution devoid of making losses.

The governor further said that water provision is a constitutional right and not an option adding that moving forward the county government will partner with the water companies through requisition especially those that are not solvent.

“The water companies will be giving the county government the problems they are facing in their jurisdiction and we will give them cash transfers based on properly evaluated documents and we give them money and they implement it on ground,” he said.

Wamatangi said that the Water and Environment Department has been given a go ahead to employ men and women who will do cleanliness in every ward.

“We want to assign every market, every road and every area to our young men and women to do cleanliness and they adapt these areas so that they ensure that it is a formality that every last of the month cleanliness is done,” he said.