"Villagers left high and dry as Tullow breaks promise"

In Nakukulas village, just next to the Ngamia 8 crude oil storage site, where President Uhuru Kenyatta had in June 2018 flagged off the first four trucks to transport crude oil by road from Turkana to Mombasa, the elders are tired of discussing oil benefits that many believe might come after they have died.  A stone’s throw away one of Tullow’s borehole pumps whirls away, a constant reminder to the group about the British oil firm’s presence in their village. Save for the pump, which distributes water across villages and the Tullow camp housing its staff quarters, these locals still feel cheated by the company. “For decades water has been a major concern for us. Water for both domestic use and for our livestock. We expected a long-term solution to this problem. We needed piped water and huge reservoirs for thousands of our livestock but what we have is temporary,” Loyola says as the other elders shake their heads in agreement.

Peter Lotese, another resident, says those who benefited from oil can be identified by how healthy they are.“Water tanks are being destroyed by sun and overuse. They are not reliable and within a short time they are empty. Enough piped water would have been a blessing so that after our livestock are full and women have fetched enough for young livestock that remained behind and for domestic use, we can engage in irrigated farming,” Lotese says. “We don't have jobs. Now that oil was discovered, we are in conflict within ourselves, not in bad faith but just to get jobs and related benefits. The nearby village will now always dictate who benefits.”…

Tullow Kenya Managing Director Martin Mbogo admitted that the feeling in Lokichar was that Tullow had not really met the residents’ expectations in terms of the value of the resource compared to the benefits they have received so far in the eight years the company has been there.“We always ask ourselves how much is enough, and the answer is dependent on whom we ask. We have to understand that it is not our intent to replace government. We will never meet the needs of everyone. In my view, expectation management is the issue,” Mbogo said.“We understand the needs and requirements are heavy. We may provide infrastructure for schools and hospitals but furnishing them is the function of either the county or national government. But you see, the community will judge us on that.”