Residents of Turkana County have called on the government and oil companies to address outstanding compensation issues and increase community benefits before allowing fresh oil exploration activities to proceed.
Speaking during a community sensitisation forum, residents said Gulf Energy and the government should first honour commitments made to communities whose land is expected to be acquired for the project.
The residents argued that many affected families are yet to receive compensation and insisted that drilling activities should not begin until landowners are fairly compensated.
According to GreenFaith Kenya, the Ministry of Energy issued a Gazette Notice in October last year to facilitate the compulsory acquisition of land required for the oil project.
The organisation said the National Land Commission (NLC) is responsible for overseeing the acquisition process and ensuring that affected communities receive fair compensation before their land is used for petroleum activities.
GreenFaith Kenya, which has been engaging Turkana residents on climate change, health and environmental concerns, also criticised county leaders for allegedly failing to adequately protect the interests and safety of local communities as oil development plans progress.
“The oil belongs to both us and the government. We must continue demanding what we lack so that we can be provided with it. We are also still waiting for the five per cent we have been asking for because it will help our people,” one resident said.
The concerns come as the government intensifies efforts to revive Kenya’s petroleum sector and attract investment into oil exploration and production.
Recently, government officials held discussions with India on expanding cooperation in oil exploration, drilling technology and investment opportunities aimed at unlocking Turkana’s oil reserves.
The talks also explored possible partnerships in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) infrastructure and supply as Kenya seeks to grow its upstream petroleum industry.
At the same time, the government is proposing stricter financial rules for future oil and gas projects. Under the Draft Petroleum (Upstream Petroleum Cost Management) Regulations, 2026, petroleum companies would be required to maintain a maximum debt-to-equity ratio of 70:30.
The proposed regulations are aimed at ensuring petroleum projects remain financially stable and reducing risks linked to excessive borrowing. Companies that fail to comply with the requirements could face penalties of up to Ksh20 million.
Turkana remains central to Kenya’s ambitions of becoming an oil-producing country after commercially viable oil deposits were discovered in the region.
However, efforts to commercialise the resource have previously faced challenges, including financing constraints, infrastructure limitations and disagreements over benefits and compensation for local communities.