Employment row casts shadow on Tullow’s quest for oil

By Lucas Ng’asike and Joe Ombuor

Turkana, Kenya: Loriu Akope decided to ditch her pastoral life in her early 30s for manual jobs at Tullow Oil Exploration Company filled with the hope that life would change for the better with this unique opportunity.

But this was not to be for Akope, a widowed mother of two, courtesy of a bloody raid on her Nakwamoru village, Turkana South five years ago by armed bandits. Her dream remained a mirage.

Worse still, she lost the livestock she depended on during a severe drought in the region.

Akope and her neighbours are the victims of drought synonymous with the larger Turkana, an area the size of Nyanza, Western and Central regions put together.

Scarce jobs

Tullow Oil, as a company policy, mainly hires highly skilled professionals and foreign expatriates to work in its oil wells.

“I am still optimistic of landing some casual job. Tullow also needs people like us with little or no academic background,” says Akope in a voice carrying hope and despair.

Akope’s story resonates with that of many Turkana folks who turn up every morning at the perimeter walls of the oil sites: Ngamia 1, Etuko, Ekales, Twiga 1 and Agate in Turkana East and South districts hunting for scarce manual jobs.

Residents complain that the company discriminates against them in terms of job opportunities. And those lucky to get hired complain about uneven salaries compared to those of non-locals who earn hefty allowances.

Paid more

A source within the company who sought confidentiality confirms discrepancies in staff salaries whereby foreigners are preferred and paid more.

Human rights activist Joshua Loyanae, a resident of Kapedo, Turkana East, claims some locals earn about Sh30,000 while non-locals doing the same job earn Sh120,000.

Loyanae cites a scenario in which a local mud mixer machine operator is paid Sh2,300 per day while a non-local earns Sh3,600.

Akope and other job seekers from the region blame Tullow for the employment stand off that recently culminated into agitated demonstrations and the company threatening to cripple operations. Tullow Oil Corporate Affairs Advisor Mercy Kabangi denies all the allegations and says the company is addressing the employment issues with the community.

“We acknowledge the demonstrations triggered by normal despair but we are working with the local community to address their grievances as soon as possible,” Ms Kabangi says in a statement.

The Tullow Oil Country Manager Martin Mbogo claims 80 per cent of all company employees are residents. He says the company has set up an arbitration mechanism to deal with potential conflicts.

A recent statement by Tullow through their associate Public Relations firm African Practice states that out of the 1,400 employees in oil exploration sites in Northern Kenya, 800 hail from the Turkana community.

That notwithstanding, the oil company and the local community differ on the employment issues and figures and the communication discordance causes trouble and fears from both sides. The problem of community land use is also at the centre of disputes.

Villager Ekal Emuron accuses Tullow of encroaching into their pastureland without consulting them.

“We are infuriated by the fact that Tullow arbitrarily creates more land for their oil exploration activities in the region disregarding and marginalising us on matters of employment and compensation.” says Emuron.

His complaint is reinforced by community elder Achuka Lotee who raises the alarm that the land space in which Tullow is expanding for its activities remains community property and a tinderbox for conflicts with pastoralists.

However, Tullow experts say oil drilling is an expensive venture that requires millions of dollars but does not consume big chunks of land since the drilled hole is the size of a plate surface.

Bio Aloe (Tubae) Executive Director Eliud Emeri has said that more conflicts related to resource sharing and environmental degradation are likely if nothing is done.

Mitigate destruction

“Tullow Oil needs to develop a structure of supporting environment conservation measures to mitigate the destruction caused by exploration,” says Emeri.

He accuses the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) for laxity in addressing environmental concerns at oil drilling sites.

Nema’s Principal Communications Officer Antony Ngare dismisses the claims as unfounded. He instead notes that oil exploration companies in the region need no more than to comply with the environmental laws and regulations.