By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Kenya, January 14 2026 - Residents of Turkana County have called on lawmakers to ensure full transparency in the ongoing negotiations over Kenya’s long awaited oil development, warning that past deals have been “secretive” and failed to benefit local communities.
Community representatives, elders and leaders raised their concerns during public participation sessions with Members of Parliament (MPs) convened this week in Lokichar. At the heart of the protests is growing distrust among Turkana residents about how the government is handling proposed agreements related to the South Lokichar Basin oil project, specifically the Field Development Plan (FDP) and Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) for oil blocks T6 and T7.
The Senate has invited the public to submit written views on the contracts before the ratification deadline on 16 January 2026. Local elders told MPs they were alarmed by what they see as opaque negotiations that exclude meaningful input from the very communities most affected by oil production.
One resident held a placard calling for transparency and accountability, echoing decades old frustrations that Turkana’s resource wealth has yet to translate into tangible benefits for locals. The controversy has been fuelled by political critique from within Parliament itself, most prominently from Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who described the proposed oil plan as potentially “Ruto’s biggest scandal yet” and warned that the deals may be structured to benefit elites rather than ordinary Kenyans.
Sifuna has raised several key grievances, including allegations that the company set to develop oil, Gulf Energy (formerly Tullow Oil), underwent rapid and suspicious ownership changes right before government approval, which he says could be an attempt to “mask real ownership.” He also flagged an amendment increasing the maximum recoverable cost from 55% to 85%, a change that might drastically reduce the share of revenue that the Kenyan state and local communities receive.
Critics also argue that the agreement appears to undercut Kenya’s Local Content Act, which is designed to ensure oil projects prioritise Kenyan labour, supplies and services. According to Sifuna, this exemption could leave Turkana communities out of crucial economic opportunities.
Turkana’s oil journey extends back to the early 2010s when Tullow Oil first struck crude in the South Lokichar Basin, a discovery that raised hopes for decades of prosperity. But the road to commercial production has been long and stop start, with exploration and export pilots in 2019 generating only small royalty revenues and failing to kickstart major investment until recently.
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After more than a decade of delays, Tullow Oil sold its assets to Gulf Energy in 2025, bringing new momentum to plans for commercial production but also reviving old tensions over revenue sharing, compensation frameworks and community entitlement to the benefits of local natural resources.
Turkana residents have repeatedly voiced concerns that benefits from resource extraction, including jobs, infrastructure, and direct revenue, have not trickled down to the community. Past experiences, including disputes over land acquisition and compensation processes, have stoked fear that oil wealth could be captured by political and corporate elites rather than reinvested in local development.
Senator James Lomenen previously vowed to block oil shipments from Turkana until basic infrastructure like allweather roads are built, linking physical development needs directly to oil extraction readiness. The Senate Energy Committee has formally opened up the FDP and PSCs for public comments in line with constitutional requirements, allowing citizens and civil society organisations to scrutinise details they argue were not sufficiently disclosed earlier. This participation process, which runs through midJanuary, gives ordinary Kenyans the chance to submit memoranda on the planned oil contracts ahead of Parliamentary ratification.
The government has publicly said it is committed to reviving commercial oil production in Turkana to generate jobs and revenues, and officials stress that legal frameworks exist to ensure fair sharing of proceeds. However, critics continue to demand full transparency and accountability before any contracts are finalised or production begins. With public memoranda due imminently, Parliament faces mounting pressure to balance economic potential against community demands for fairness and open governance.
The outcome could shape not only the future of the Turkana oil project but also deepen national debates about resource governance, constitutional rights to participation, and equitable development in regions hosting extractive industries.
