Lodwar, September 10, 2026 (Public Communications and Media Relations)

Turkana County now has an opportunity to establish the full environmental and social impact of oil exploration activities in the South Lokichar Basin by the former operator Tullow Oil and its affiliates, as it prepares a new evidence-informed anticipatory framework for the upcoming production phase now under Gulf Energy.

A multi-sectoral team has been deployed to the oil fields to collect samples from Blocks T6 and T7 for laboratory analysis, interview residents, conduct stakeholder engagements and gather professional opinions as part of the comprehensive audit.

Officials from the State Department for Petroleum and the consultancy company to lead the process disclosed the news during a meeting with Deputy Governor Dr John Erus in Lodwar.

According to the team lead Engineer Tito Kodiaga, the audit will focus on all exploration-related operations, including waste management procedures, with a view to documenting their impacts on the environment, livestock, public infrastructure and local communities.

“The focus will be on all exploration-related operations including waste management procedures with a view to documenting impacts on the environment, livestock, infrastructure and the people,” the team lead said.

The official explained that samples will be collected from water sources, soil, livestock, grazing fields, agricultural produce and waste materials, among others. The consultant will also engage players in both the public and private sectors, as well as independent professionals, to assess environmental and social concerns arising from petroleum operations.

The comprehensive audit comes more than a decade after Tullow Oil discovered commercially viable oil deposits in the South Lokichar Basin in 2012. The basin is estimated to hold millions of barrels of recoverable oil.

Tullow Oil, together with its joint venture partners Africa Oil and Total Energies, exited the project a few years ago, paving the way for the entry of Gulf Energy Ltd as the new operator.

Welcoming the audit, Deputy Governor Dr John Erus said the exercise will provide critical data to shape a comprehensive and coordinated response to concerns raised by host communities over the years.

Dr Erus emphasized that the audit must be transparent, independent and inclusive, with a clear mechanism for sharing findings with all stakeholders, including county government, local communities and civil society.

“This audit should not only be transparent but also independent and inclusive, with means of sharing the findings with all the stakeholders. The people of Turkana must know what happened during exploration and what to expect during production,” Dr Erus said.

He noted that for years, residents of Lokichar, Kapese and Nakukulas have complained of dust pollution, disposal of drilling cuttings, decommissioning of exploration wells and restricted access to traditional grazing corridors, without a comprehensive assessment being made public.

The Deputy Governor further urged the State Department to institutionalize continuous audits and verification of licensed operators as in accordance to the law.

“Coming at a time when oil production is expected to commence following the entry of Gulf Energy as a new explorer, we urge the state department to ensure continuous audit and verification of licensed operators’ compliance with the approved ESMPs guiding the process,” he said.

The consultancy-led audit is scheduled to run for slightly over a month, with 30th August as the commencement date and 3rd October as the closure date.

The team is expected to submit an interim report to the State Department and the County Government upon conclusion, and a final report that outlines the entire ecosystem of impacts and the anticipated compliance measures to be put in place for safety and protection of the communities.

County Directorates for Energy and Natural Resources and officials from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), are expected to be part of the stakeholder consultations.

Vitalis Too (environmentalist), Augustine Lokwang (consultant) and officials from the consultancy company were present.