It is believed that Kenya will make about Sh6.4 trillion from the Turkana oil find alone if commercial production starts by 2020.
Researchers for the report by the global development charity say the country will make on average about Sh280 billion every year.
The earnings are expected to be shared between the national and county governments, and the host community.
When figures such as trillions and billions start to be mentioned my blood starts running fast. This is because natural resources often lie at the heart of wars and civil strife.
It is not long since Sudan was divided into two, that is, South and North Sudan, as the two sides fought to control the natural resources (oil). Many innocent people were displaced and they went to seek refuge in other countries.
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For years, Nigeria’s oil-rich southern Delta region has been the scene of repeated armed clashes among local residents, dissident groups, the military and police. The fighting has claimed many lives and sporadically disrupted the country’s main export sector.
In Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war, the fiercest fighting was over control of the country’s diamond fields. Diamonds smuggled from Sierra Leone also helped finance one side in the war in neighboring Liberia, as did illegal exploitation of Liberian timber and iron ore.
In Angola’s war, each side had a ready source of revenue, the government controlled offshore oil fields, while the rebel UNITA movement sustained itself for years through illegal diamond mining.
These among many other wars are characterized by failure in leadership. Corruption in governments makes some few individuals to rebel thus the outbreak of civil war. It is my plea to the government to ensure effective and efficient management of the oil in Turkana.
This will be achieved by ensuring local residents get jobs, tenders won in a transparent manner and should be concentrated to local companies. There should be equitable distribution of profits from the profits made between the national and county government.
