Turkana Residents Doubt Accountability in Tullow’s Oil Exploration Deal

At, a two-day consultative meeting organised, between the Ministry of Energy, Tullow Oil Plc and Turkana residents, in Lodwar, Turkana, on 23 June 2012, residents accused the two of gross malpractices and lack of transparency in the oil exploration process. The meeting hugely attended by more than 500 Turkana people from all walks of life, appeared like a defining moment for their future as Ng'Turkana, Turkana people, after the recent announcement of oil discovery in a region plunged into deepening poverty and increasing conflicts.  It was visibly clear from the attendance that, democratic participation and debates amongst the Turkana people were honest, committed and had a voice of reason to get a collective position and set their agenda as the right owners of the land on which the oil was discovered.

Unlike previous meetings where the Ministry of Energy and Tullow used to addressing frail-looking Turkana men and women, under Acacia trees near drilling sites in Ngamia-1, Twiga-1 or Lokichar town, this time round it was extraordinarily different.  In a show of unity of purpose, members of parliament from all the three constituencies i.e., Turkana North, South and Central, joined political aspirants, civil society groups, former MPs, civic leaders, religious leaders and professionals.   The people of Turkana standing united regardless of their political, religious, economic and social status agreed to forge a collective agenda for a future of sustainable development of their society. The meeting, though in a cool-modern hall, not under the traditional tree, gave the Turkana people a platform to discuss, confront and ask many unanswered issues of County and national importance. 

On the first day, Mr. Ateyo, the Chairman of Turkana County Oil Committee, unhesitant, kicked of the meeting by accusing Tullow Oil Kenya of arrogance and disrespecting the local leaders and community. He was particularly disappointed with Mr. Martin Mbogo, General Manager of Tullow Oil claiming that "This man is the most arrogant man I have dealt with in my entire working life as a teacher and now, as a councillor,” He further argued that every time the committee plans to meet Mbogo, his handler (Corporate Affairs Manager) gives excuses that Mbogo is abroad, either in South Africa, Uganda or the UK.  "This is the first time we are meeting head of Tullow Oil in Kenya," said Ateyo. 

At the conclusion of the first day, the people of Turkana elected, endorsed and mandated the Turkana Leadership Forum, a group composed of three current sitting MPs, councillors, Turkana County Council, religious leaders, Turkana professionals, Turkana county oil committees and representatives from faith-based and civil society organizations. The forum main objective was to represent the Turkana people in all engagements with the Government, Ministry of Energy, Tullow Oil Plc and other oil prospecting firms. Additionally, the forum was tasked with developing policy and development issues both in national and international platforms. This is to protect the interest of the Turkana people by the Government and multinationals to redistribute oil wealth instead of risks.

Unprecedentedly, on the second day, a heavy contingent of anti-riot police was deployed at the meeting venue. A heated debate ensued where local Turkana residents, owners of land and oil put the Ministry of Energy, Tullow and Turkana County Council, on the spot. They accused them of blatant corruption, human rights abuse, mistrust, disrespect, arrogance, manipulation and high-handedness. 

Once again Ateyo argued that the Turkana people have been long been marginalised by successive governments where yet again being subjected to similar exclusionist policies.   He noted adamantly that a future of Turkana people, which is now anchored on the new Constitution, should be respected and they should be allowed to participate. He argued that disrespecting the Turkana people by invading Turkana land and exploring resources without consent from local residents or Turkana County Council is tantamount to the dark days where the district was excluded and disenfranchised from the rest of the country.

Furthermore, during the feedback session, one elder from the Turkana County Oil Committee, a tall and sporty elder stood to speak and told Tullow off in a thunderous signature: "This is not the Turkana of the 60s and 70s but of the 21st century, where 50 per cent of the Turkana are educated,” said Mr David, a respected elder and local civic leader shouted angrily.  

One time during the meeting, participants chanted enthusiastically that "Tullow wanatumia kirauni,” (loosely translated to mean that Tullow are using the government’s hand to oppress them). As a resident of Turkana, it is my opinion that Tullow and other oil exploration multinationals take effort to co-operate with a human-face and get support from local communities because they are more equal partners in the oil business as the same Ministry of Energy that has licensed them to prospect oil.

Currently, Tullow operates with impunity. Tullow Oil Kenya has previously been accused of using Provincial Administration, particularly local District Commissioners (DCs), District Officers and chiefs to harass and intimidate local communities in the oil exploration areas like Ngamia 1 and Twiga 1 in Turkana South District, in addition to informally invading land without local consultations. 

Turkana residents have equally observed that Tullow Oil roams with letters from Nairobi, purportedly written by the Permanent Secretary for Energy authorising them to access any piece of land holding oil deposits in Turkana without public participation.  Tullow has deliberately ignored the Turkana County Council, the local authority who holds the trust land on behalf of the Turkana community. Furthermore, both Tullow, and the Ministry of Energy have ignored the plight of hundreds of local residents displaced in the exploration area and learning in some schools like Kapese Primary School, where Twiga 1, is located has been disrupted.

Moreover, since Tullow began exploring oil, it has not made exploration Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report public.  Ironically the District Commissioner has been quoted several times in the media confirming availability of the EIA and in support of Tullow.

It was also mentioned that in several incidences, Tullow Oil Kenya has been dictating corporate social responsibility (CSRs) activities and costing. The residents claimed that in every meeting Tullow official flush copies of cheques purportedly to have been issued for various CSR projects, including education bursaries and construction of classrooms to justify their work in Turkana. The local MP, (who) accused Tullow of ignoring existing devolved structures, like the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), to channel its CSR funds for appropriate identification of community service projects. 

Additionally in 2011, for instance, Tullow allocated a meagre 1.3 million Kenyan shillings (approximately GBP 10,000) for education bursaries, This despite Tullow being a multinational company, deriving colossal earning from its share trade whose prices which have been increasing in the London Securities Exchange, since the discovery of oil deposits in Turkana County in March, 2012. Mr Lochiida, chairman of Turkana East District Oil Committee, constituted in January 2012, confirmed that although they have received and distributed the money to university students, the funds are insufficient to cater for the growing education needs of the community.  Though Tullow claimed that they have so far allocated approximately 10 million Kenyan shillings (GBP. 100, 000) for various CSR projects, the leaders and community demanded that Tullow declares expenditure of the CSR money dished out in addition they ought to develop a structured and accountable mechanism to harmonise CSR activities and funding with existing local institutions.  

Likewise, the Turkana people questioned the recruitment, and tender procedures of Tullow. Residents noted that out of the 500 Tullow Oil Kenya staff, only 40 (8% of staff) were locals who are hired as casual labourers, usually for daily or month long work. The residents accused Tullow of importing staff, including drivers and support staff from Nairobi who could be hired locally. They also blamed the firm of outsourcing and awarding tenders for basic services like cleaning, foodstuff supply, including beef supply, to Nairobi firms. Embarrassingly as demonstration that Turkana had capable and qualified people, during the meeting, at least 10 Turkana engineers, including those with experience working at oil companies from the United States, were introduced to the Ministry of Energy and Tullow officials amidst their allegations that Turkana lacked qualified engineers

It was further revealed that Tullow, has been hiring and paying spy and moles, including local DCs, DOs, chiefs, councillors, security agents, CSOs and professionals to stamp their authority and protect their oil exploration interest in the county. Residents noted that they were induced with monetary, allowances and free flights to Nairobi, in order to undermine the leadership and the Turkana people.

The residents further accused the oil multinational for holding parallel meetings and disrespecting decisions made by the Turkana people and their leaders through the Turkana Leadership Forum.

In response to these accusations, Mr Martin Mbogo dismissed claims that Tullow displaced local Turkana residents in the oil exploration sites. Mr. Mbogo arrogantly ignored the accusations and instead said that they set up the camps where there were no permanent settlements.  This according to residents was an insult to their culture and livelihood, which entails nomadic pastoralist lifestyle. Mr. Mbogo failed to understand that Turkana people are nomadic and Ngamia-1 or Twiga-1 oil wells sit on pastoralist land set for grazing during the dry season.

He further produced a copy of a cheque, to show they had paid 204,000 Kenyan shillings for Ngamia 1 land rates, which the Turkana County Council Auditor, said was rejected and returned because it was payment for sand fees harvested by Tullow.Mr. Mbogo later ran into more trouble when he asked Ekuru Aukot, a participant, to verify his correspondence with the Ministry of Energy and Clerk to Turkana County Council. This move elicited sharp protests from the crowd, kaa chini! Kaa chini! Sit down! Sit down.

The meeting was concluded with a common position read on behalf of the community by Prof. Michael Lokuruka. The Turkana people demanded the following:

1. Terms of Engagement, an agreement not Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Ministry of Energy and Tullow, to be signed by all parties (MoE, Tullow, Turkana County Council (Turkana County Government) and Turkana Leadership Forum (Turkana People).
2. The Turkana people also demanded that Ministry of Energy (Government) and Tullow Oil Kenya engages the community through the Turkana Leadership Forum forthwith without doubt, favour or contradiction.
3. They also demanded that Tullow awards at least three out of the five post-graduate scholarships advertised by Tullow Oil through the British Council in Nairobi, to Turkana students.
4. The Turkana demanded that the Government through Ministry of Energy to outline the oil revenue sharing formula, including billions of Kenyan shillings paid by oil and gas exploration multinationals as license and technical training fees.  They demanded 40 per cent share of the revenue and including appointment of Turkana people in strategic leadership positions in the 10 parastatals under the Ministry of Energy.
5. Residents also demanded that Tullow makes available the exploration Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report to interested parties, including individuals, institutions and public. The also demanded that a post-exploration socio-economic audit be conducted as soon as possible.
6. The participants noted with concern that the absence of Minister and Permanent Secretary, main decision makers, from the meeting, undermined the terms of engagement between the Ministry of Energy, Tullow Oil Kenya, Turkana County Council and the Turkana people represented by Turkana Leadership Forum. To that effect, they demanded a meeting with the Minister for Energy and Permanent Secretary as a sign of commitment from the Government to formally endorse the agreed expectations and aspirations of the Turkana people contained in the yet to be signed Terms of Engagement drafted by Turkana Leadership Forum legal team. 

Turkana Oil Discovery: Is It A Curse or A Blessing?

On Monday 26 March, the government announced that Kenya has struck oil in Turkana County in Rift Valley Province joining the league of states in the East African region that are endowed with this resource. Turkana County, some 15 per cent of Kenya’s landmass, is extremely arid and vulnerable to climate shocks. In many parts of Kenya, the weather has become increasingly unpredictable, with strong winds, frequent droughts and floods. For about 900,000 Turkana residents of north-western Kenya, climate change is today’s reality. In Turkana County, climate-driven environmental change is creating new levels of environmental degradation, destitution and conflicts, as pastoral raiding takes place in an attempt to re-stock herds, depleted by drought, or because of competition for increasingly scarce resources. 

The problems in Turkana are not only, or at all, about global climate change. Environmental degradation is taking place because of more proximate causes, including, oil exploration, sedentarization, which can lead to overgrazing. Insecurity from inter-ethnic raiding connected to political processes and environmental pressures prevents pastoralists from moving to pastures in an optimal fashion. The moving of multinationals to explore oil and gas in Turkana and other pastoralist areas is going to increase the impacts of global warming creating a tragedy of enclosure for pastoralist communities as witnessed in Maasai pastoralist areas like Kajiado, Narok and Trans Mara. In these areas, access to grazing land rights by herders has been restricted because of land fragmentation-land has been sub-divided into small uneconomical units, which  have undermined sustainable pastoralism. 

Turkana is a trust land and it’s communally-owned by the Turkana people and managed by Turkana County Council as their custodian. The commons must be protected and multinationals should not increase environmental scarcities already facing this arid and semi-arid region. But instead they should observe both national and international environmental protection conventions, where Kenya is a signatory. The current and future oil prospecting companies and the general Kenyan public investors should be warned of dubious land brokers as this is a trust land.  

Multinational companies must be cautious with the so called "gatekeepers" of Turkana. These gatekeepers' do not represent the local residents’ voices. As part of their corporate social responsibility(CSR), multinationals prospecting and exploiting oil, gas and wind in northern Kenya, should invest in sustained employment, education, healthcares and clean drinking water to help reduce poverty and human development in the region. CSR activities  will prevent future conflicts over natural resources exploitation in this region. Turkana county council should also maintain inclusive democratic governance to rid any cases of corruption in oil land deals.  As  architects of sustainability put it: "What you do today will determine the lives of the present and future generation."  

Livelihoods are also changing in Turkana. Climate change is exacerbating poverty vulnerability, conflicts, migration, leading to new, more intractable problems for the Turkana, and other ASAL pastoralist communities who are already socially, economically and politically marginalized. The livelihoods are also changing because of urbanization, education, exposure to markets and wider social and cultural transformation. 

In Kenya, the highest poverty levels are found among the northern pastoralists, with huge proportions of the population falling below the national poverty line. Turkana County is the poorest in Kenya with a poverty index of 95 per cent compared with a national average of 53 per cent. Turkana is among the highest recipient of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), devolved funds. Since 2003, Turkana has received about 1.4 billion Kenyan shillings (equivalent US$18 million/£1.1 million). This is in addition to local authority transfer fund (LATF) and other billions of shillings pumped by aid agencies and development partners every year, but deepening poverty is a daily struggle. Though Turkana, a home to the world renewable energy deposits, including geothermal, solar and wind. The weekend discovery of oil deposits is unlikely to transform the socio-economic lives of the Turkana people given the historical marginalisation and poor governance. 

The geopolitical manipulation by Kenya’s ruling political elites has for the past four decades subjected and isolated the Northern Frontier County from national development. So, what makes Turkana important now? Turkwel hydroelectric power plant in Turkana is one classical example of how the Turkana have been dispossessed of their land and investment.  Though the power plant sits in Turkana County but still disputed by Pokot political elites, Kainuk, the nearest urban centre to the power plant, received electricity 22 years after  Turkwel Gorge dam was constructed in 1985.  The plant supplied electricity to Eldoret, 400 kilometres away, to feed industries and mainstream society, while the nearest town, Kainuk, barely 10 kilometres, received the electricity in 2007, thanks to Kenya Power Rural electrification programme.  

This power plant has continued to be a geopolitical weapon used by some local communities (Pokot) to suppress their future economic competitors, Turkana.  The horizontal inequality perpetuated by successive governments has led the Turkana into brinks of poverty. The political class are using cattle raiding as a weapon to exclude and force Turkana living in the disputed national power-plant to flee their ancestral land. 

The government favours Pokot community and has gone ahead to duplicate names to confuse the issue. This is evident by the recently released Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) boundaries reports where names of Turkana areas have been duplicated in the West Pokot County. The government has also created administrative units with similar names and appointed chiefs to administer the same areas. This duplication of names is purposely done and is a recent development. There were no duplicated names before now. Because the government favours the Pokots, only the Turkana can save their land and resources by standing up and fighting both Pokots and their government in court.

In the past month, hundreds of thousands of Turkana people have fled their homes in Lorokon area of Turkwel Hydroelectric power, Kaputir, Nakukulas, Kapedo, Lochwakula and Silale among others. The same plays out at the geothermal deposits sites in Silale and Loriu claimed by the Pokot community at the border of Turkana East and Baringo East District. The oil belt has been a conflict hotspot for a couple of years since prospects of these minerals started. These are some of the reasons why Turkana are yet to celebrate about the oil discovery. They have been socially, economically and politically marginalised.  

The constant conflicts along Turkana County border areas with West Pokot and Baringo East are becoming increasingly insecure and making poor people’s daily survival harder. The continuous pokot raids are not just due to scarce resources and grazing. The raids crossed that line long time ago. The raids are now about Pokot expansionism and Pokots desire for Turkana resources. It is about Pokots wanting land they know pretty well belongs to Turkana. 

The clear picture of the situation played out last weekend, Friday 23 March. More than 15 Turkana were killed by armed Pokot raiders during planned multiple attacks in Kaputir, Kogito, Kaituko, Kapelibok and Lokuyam of Turkana South District and Kotaruk in Loima district. The spate of conflicts have overwhelmed Turkana residents. The oil discovery and exploration is a worrying revelation particularly in a region where security is a mess. 

What needs to be done in Turkana? Insecurity must be a priority for the Kenyan Government to fix it. The man-made administrative boundaries dispute between the Turkana and Pokot communities must be addressed the earliest. The Government must degazette the duplicated administrative units  created on the Pokot side to reduce the tension and claims by Pokot of Turkana historical areas in East Turkana, South Turkana and Loima Districts. Similarly, the IEBC should review similar duplicated wards created in West Pokot and Baringo East. This is a recipe for future identity conflicts between the Pokot and Turkana communities. 

Another issue, the main road from Kitale town to Lodwar is insecure. Bandits terrorise, rob and rape commuters. Motorists always need police escort. The Kitale-Lodwar road, 325 kilometres, connects South Sudan and the Turkana County with Nairobi. The old tar road needs to be repaired.   

The Kenyan government has to face up to the challenges that are bearing down on Turkana people. It needs to take personal responsibility and tackle constant conflicts in the North Rift  as only political commitment at the highest level can prevent these conflicts. The government needs to revoke all existing bogus licenses for all the oil wells in Turkana County. It also needs to investigate and prosecute all those behind the oil companies’ scandals starting from the concerned line Ministries officials to the Turkana County Council officials, past and existing staff.

The civil society movement needs to put pressure on the government to act now to find a solution to drivers of climate change, overwhelming poverty, droughts, famine, conflicts, livestock diseases, internal displacements and migration in Turkana. In the absence of political will, efforts and solutions to reduce poverty, conflicts, famine, malnutrition, health and lives of thousands of people across Turkana will be at risk.

Don’t Blame Turkana Famine on the Current Drought

Perhaps nowhere in the world are the impacts of climate change more challenging than in the Turkana County of north-west Kenya. Don’t blame it on the current drought crisis. Though millions of people across the Horn of Africa are facing starvation, the situation in Turkana is catastrophic. Constant raids are a daily life struggle. The overwhelming bulk of evidence, from every corner of Turkana, is right in front of our eyes and cannot be ignored.

Since May, all corners of the County have been under attack from Kenyan Pokot and militia groups from neigbouring Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan. The region has been a battlefield of raids and famine. In the past month, while Kenya was uniting to help hungry citizens through the Kenyans for Kenyans initiative, Pokot were busy raiding villages in Turkana South District. This is a threat to peace in the country. The frequent attacks on civilians by armed militias like Pokot pose a major challenge in the efforts by humanitarian agencies to save lives of starving populations. We are worried that food aid might not reach the hungriest and this will increase their suffering.

The government has to face up to the challenges that are bearing down on poor Turkana people—constant insecurity, hunger and destitution. The government should tame the Pokot rustlers and their lords from launching attacks on Turkana, Samburu, Marakwet, Bukusu, Ilchamus—and the list is endless. This is an act of terrorism and should be condemned and punished. As we unite to help famine-stricken Kenyans, we should unite against the constant insecurity in north Rift. Those hungry Turkana villagers may never live to eat the food you are donating today.

Finding out a solution to end food poverty in Turkana should not be left to the UN, donors, civil society organizations, media or the public. The Government should provide security to the Turkana. The lack of security has disrupted the lifestyles of Turkana South District residents who practice irrigation farming along Turkwel, Malmalte and Kerio rivers. Though they have never dependent on relief food in human history, insecurity has left them more vulnerable to hunger. Hundreds have fled their farms in fear of Pokot attacks and moved into ‘safe’ major urban areas in Turkana and outside.

Insecurity is not the only hunger story. The other part of the crisis is food relief distribution politics in Turkana Central District which has resonated since 2009 and it’s worsening. Why is there a stand-off in relief food distribution? Relief food is a money-spinner business in Turkana County involving local politicians, senior government officials, cereal staff and business community. Some of the transporters, cronies of the local politicians, corruptly collude and mastermind theft of relief food meant for starving people ending up in private warehouses across major towns in Turkana. The stolen relief food is sold and hoarded for buying votes during election campaigns. Given that election is a year away, politicians in counties like Turkana are busy hoarding relief food for their campaigns. The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) should immediately investigate relief food theft scandals in Turkana. The Government through the Ministry of State for Special Programmes should support humanitarian agencies effort in distributing relief food to hungry Kenyans instead of redistributing risks.

While emergency relief is offered to this community, response governance and conflict of interest remains an issue in humanitarian assistance, which instead of reducing the suffering, increases it as a result of the infighting. In the absence of government cooperation, efforts and solution to reduce the suffering of communities affected by the drought, the lives of hundreds of thousands of the people across northern Kenya like the Turkana will be at risk.

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International students shine in British Council's Annual Awards

Their inspirational accounts of student life in the UK have secured two students from the University top accolades in the UK’s biggest competition for international students.
Hong Kong student Alex Leung has been named Wales’ International Student of the Year 2009 in the prestigious competition from the British Council. Alex Leung, who is studying in the School of Pharmacy, was one of 12 regional winners who gathered in London to have their extraordinary achievements honoured in a national awards ceremony.

Kenyan student Gregory Akall, who studies International Journalism at the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, was a regional runner-up in the competition.
Alex Leung and Gregory Akall were two of more than 1,500 students, from 118 countries to enter the seventh annual International Student Awards – a major initiative from the British Council that shines the spotlight on international students and their contributions to life in the UK.

In a bid to take home a prize, students studying at universities, colleges of further and higher education, schools and English language institutions across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales shared stories about the extra-curricular achievements that illustrate how they are making the most of their time in the UK.

To enter, each student was asked to write a personal ‘letter home’ in English, detailing the out-of-class achievements that help make their time in the UK so rewarding.

Alex Leung’s letter was judged to be Wales’ most impressive, receiving a £1,000 prize. Alex explained how his experience at Cardiff will help him reach his goal of working for the World Health Organisation. He said: “In Cardiff I found the ultimate goal in my life and my path to my dream. I have gained huge confidence and personal growth by the opportunities, and an international vision and a heart to serve children globally.”

Gregory Akall said: “My greatest desire is to influence people's lives positively because a social justice move, no matter how small, makes a significant difference. The learning opportunity and social experience at Cardiff University has prepared me to embrace change and become a more resilient human being and a more competent global citizen.”

Sandra Elliott, Director of Communications and International Relations Division said: “We’re very proud of the achievements of all of our international students at Cardiff and the way in which they make the most of every opportunity here. Having both a finalist and a runner-up in the competition is a fantastic reflection on both the talent of our international students and on the University as a whole”