Economy

Tullow Oil schools, hospitals shut in contract dispute

kainuk

Kainuk Secondary School students protest over the closure of their dormitory. photo | Peter Warutumo

A crisis is looming in Turkana County after five critical social investment projects funded by exploration firm Tullow Oil were repossessed by a contractor following a court order.

The projects are a boys dormitory at Kainuk Mixed Secondary School on the banditry-prone boundary of Turkana and West Pokot counties; a dormitory at Uhuru Girls Secondary School; a science laboratory at Katilu Girls Secondary School; two classrooms at Karoge Primary School; a hospital in Lokichar town; and a dispensary at Kasuroi Trading Centre.

Shabaa Civil Engineering & Construction workers locked the buildings with padlocks after evacuating occupants, days after serving the institutions with the court order.

The contractor said they had agreed with the company on Sh130 million as the cost of the projects but only Sh80 million was paid.

Mr Caleb Omwancha, a boarding master at Kainuk Mixed Secondary School, called on Tullow and the contractor to resolve the matter quickly as the only other boys dormitory was congested.

“Our 60 boys have nowhere to stay for the six months stipulated in the court order,” said Mr Omwancha. “This is a disaster, especially now that our school is in a banditry-prone area.”

Shabaa director Cecilia Ng’itit said they entered into a contract with Tullow in 2015 to construct social investment projects but, upon completion, the explorer resolved to operate on a measurement-of-work formula.

“That was the same formula introduced when we were still constructing the projects and we protested,’’ said Ms Ng’itit.