Nanok, lawmakers demand audit of Tullow Oil activities in Turkana

Leaders from Turkana County have called for an audit of Tullow Oil operations.

During a meeting in Lodwar Wednesday, Governor Josphat Nanok decried limited information on activities related to petroleum in the South Lokichar basin.

“We face the challenge of accessing critical information shared by the government. The Turkana County Grievances Management Committee has been left in the dark,” Mr Nanok said.

The summit, which was attended by lawmakers from the region and deputy governor Peter Lotethiro, resolved that Mr Nanok write to Petroleum and Mining CS John Munyes seeking a briefing on Tullow Oil operations.

The calls come at a time Tullow Oil has scaled down activities. The firm together with its partner in the Turkana oil fields, Total, aims to reduce their stakes in Kenya’s first oil development.

The entire project is valued at between $1.25 billion and $2 billion, but it is hard to be precise on the figures because the development has yet to receive a final investment decision (FID).

The fields already produced about 2,000 barrels of oil daily as part of an early production system. The oil is trucked from Turkana to Mombasa. A first cargo of 250,000 barrels was shipped on a tanker last August.

Last month, Mr Munyes said the British firm has not withdrawn from the county, attributing the scale down of operations to the Covid-19 pandemic and floods. “Tullow Oil is part of a consortium that is steering the country into full field development phase under Project Oil Kenya,” Mr Munyes said. “Others are Africa Oil, Total Kenya and the government. If Tullow Oil wishes to withdraw from the deal, it has to sell its shares to a company of its choice.”