Lodwar, 2nd March 2023 (Governor’s Press Service)- Turkana County Governor, Jeremiah Lomorukai, hosted a joint team from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Ministry of Lands and Tullow Oil, who visited the County Government HQ to brief the County Government on the progress of Project Oil Kenya.
The team was led by Benjamin Oyile, Senior Director for Administration in the State Department for Petroleum.
During the meeting, Governor Lomorukai emphasized the need for stakeholder involvement in decision-making and information sharing regarding the oil operation at the South Lokichar Basin.
He called for a shift in coordination to avoid conflicts, saying, “The community has a stake in the project and the new administration will fiercely protect their rights.”
Governor Lomorukai also expressed concern about the lack of transparency in the Field Development Plan presented by Africa Oil and its Joint Venture Partners to the national government.
He insisted that the County Government and the local community must understand the plan’s contents before the project resumes.
The team met with County Executives and other senior county officials in relevant departments to discuss the project’s status and next steps. Mr. Oyile said Cabinet Secretary of Energy and Petroleum, Davis Chirchir, was keen on ensuring close cooperation between stakeholders in the oil project.
County Executive for Tourism, Culture, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Dr Iris Mariao, echoed the Governor’s sentiments, insisting that the County Government has a responsibility as a stakeholder in the project.
County Executive for Lands, Peter Akono, called for adherence to the constitution and other laws that protect the local community’s interests. County Secretary, Peter Eripete, urged the team to learn from past mistakes and avoid discoordination that caused interruptions to the project.
Chief of Staff Peter Yoromoe attended the meeting.
In the delegation were Bethwell Sang (Social Performance- Tullow), Engineer Joseph Mathenge (Ministry of Water), Maureen Omondi (Economist, State Department of Petroleum), Joseline Makena (National Lands Commission), Truphosa Achar (State Department of Land), James Kambo (Land Access and ESIA Permitting, Tullow) and Hastings Ozwara (National Museums of Kenya).
