Oil export plan in limbo as Tullow threatens to pull out of Turkana oil fields

[kah_tony]

This is greed kabisa. I see why Muthamaki was angry.

[upepo]

Turkana should get more money.No progress will be made until this happens. Why bring the money to the thieves in Nairobi while it could be put to better use in Turkana. Actually, I would demand a 25% cut for Turkana.

[weed]

Hii contract ipewe to a company from turkana uone vile hiyo mafuta itatoka hapo speedy.

[fishmonger]

Turkana people walipwe vizuri ama government to send security reinforcement(even if it is KDF) to guard all the operations.

[Neymar_jr]

This is a scandal in waiting…Ati they cannot send tracks because of insecurity,si ziende na police escort,alar!

[grandpa]

@upepo

Turkana should get more money.No progress will be made until this happens. Why bring the money to the thieves in Nairobi while it could be put to better use in Turkana. Actually, I would demand a 25% cut for Turkana.

Buda. Just lay off the crack pipe. Ati 25% for Turkana :D:D

Hizo infrastructure projects zote wanafanyiwa through Lapset wametumia how much money in county funds to fund them?

Halafu hiyo miaka yote wamekua wakilishwa na government lazima wacompensate. 5% is even a lot compared to the total populace of that place

[bouss]

@grandpa

Buda. Just lay off the crack pipe. Ati 25% for Turkana :D:D

Hizo infrastructure projects zote wanafanyiwa through Lapset wametumia how much money in county funds to fund them?

Halafu hiyo miaka yote wamekua wakilishwa na government lazima wacompensate. 5% is even a lot compared to the total populace of that place

If I was a turkana I would ask for more too. For decades they were neglected & now watu wamesikia maguta wamekimbia huko kushine macho.

[Ice_Cube]

What has NASA said about Turkana oil revenue sharing?

[Tarantinoh]

Hiyo munaita profit sijui kama kunayo, the Turkanas have been getting medical services, eating and drinking water provided by Tullow, I think their is a bill somewhere.

[Tarantinoh]

@bouss

If I was a turkana I would ask for more too. For decades they were neglected & now watu wamesikia maguta wamekimbia huko kushine macho.

For people who have depended on aid from somewhere else, you should just be glad this time round you can carry your weight.

[omhangla]

@wildfrank

Hehe I will call you a doom prophet… At this hour you just had to bring the news… Yani imekuuma ukaona huwezi lala na hii article…

Angeleta kesho mngeandika hii tuliona lini. That’s why this is k talk, we get news as it comes out.

[Capulet]

@pamba

Umenitusi ama?

Hehehe says never show your bravado foolishly, you might live to see an other day.

[pamba]

That money should be used to build more infrastructure and upgrade the existing ones especially on education and health sio kupeana stipends, sio kwa ubaya lakini turkanas hata kama ni in-laws wako bright but lazy .

[Baby_Daddy]

@Soprano

By Vincent Achuka
Thursday, June 29th 2017 at 00:00 GMT +3
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/images/wednesday/ofwjgtkt5bsjmfwhy455953dbba3f24f.jpg
Tullow oil
Tullow Oil has threatened to suspend its operations in Turkana County just a day before a self-imposed deadline for the start of transportation of crude oil to Mombasa for export.

The latest development has set off a chain reaction that will today see the Government announce suspension of the plan.

The Standard has reliably established that for close to a month now, Tullow’s employees have been unable to gain access to two of its sites where 40,000 barrels of oil that form the first batch of crude that is supposed to be transported to Mombasa is stored.

Further, one of the seven companies contracted to upgrade the Kitale-Turkana road, which leads to the oil fields, has suspended works after three of its employees were attacked.

This has added more controversy to what is turning out to be an oil curse for the country even before full exploitation of the sought-after resource.

A source familiar with the goings-on said it was suspected that the banditry against the oil scheme is political and is meant to stall the process by creating fear.

“This thing has been politicised too much that it will be impossible, however much we want to transport even a single barrel of oil unless certain issues are resolved,” said the source.

In a letter sent to the Kenya Highways Management Authority (KeNHA), which The Standard has seen, Rowla Construction on May 20 said it had discontinued the construction of the road upgrade to the oil fields until the security of its staff was guarante

This was after one of its employees sustained gunshot wounds in the said attack.

“I would like to take this opportunity to inform the parties involved in this activity that we would like to discontinue KeNHA work for the meantime until security is improved or at least brought under control,” said the company.

Prime Fuels Kenya, Multiple Hauliers and Oilfield Movers last month bagged the Sh1.5 billion tender to transport the crude oil to Mombasa under the Early Oil Pilot Scheme (EOPS) and was supposed to start moving the oil last week, but this has not happened. Tullow in a letter sent to the Turkana County Commissioner protested at what it called “economic sabotage”. Its employees have been barred from accessing Nakukulas Tullow Community Resource Centre, Ngamia 3 and Ngamia 8 oil fields.

Ngamia 3 and 8, we have established, have 40,000 barrels of already pumped crude which is stored in tanks awaiting evacuation. They were to form the first batch of Kenya’s oil find to be transported to the Coast on Saturday.

“Further harassment of the company’s workers in the course of their duties is likely to lead to skilled labour shortage and potential slowdown and likely suspension of oil and gas operations in Turkana County,” warned the company.

There is a stand-off between the national and Turkana county government over the sharing of petrodollars that will be earned from the sale of oil, which is now estimated to be at least a billion barrels.

Turkana leaders have been pushing for 10 per cent of the oil share benefit but the Government wants it reduced to 5 per cent. In January, President Uhuru Kenyatta declined to assent to the Petroleum Exploration and Production Bill. Last month, Uganda cited insecurity as the key reason why it snubbed Kenya for Tanzania; choosing the longer Hoima-Tanga route for their oil pipeline instead of the shorter and more economically viable Hoima-Lokichar-Lamu route.

Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau said they could not send trucks to the area because it was too risky.

“Everything is ready,” he said. “But we have a few issues with security, which we are sorting out. So it will be difficult for us to give a go-ahead to the trucking companies because we would be risking the lives of the drivers,” he said.

Turkana wapewe haki yao.

Why did Uhuru sign the bill proposing a reduction of revenue share?

Kama haibenefit wenyeji, hata wengine wakae kando. Kari Kii?

[Ubongo]

Interesting times ahead. Proper planning needs to be adequately executed or else that oil may not help us

[Bakayaro]

@grandpa

Hehe…from the companies cited in this article. Looks like one of my former employers is making a killing from this Tullow Oil business

Someone always eats…just hope this situation doesn’t escalate.