Bill raises hope for oil-rich Turkana

The climb down by the national government to allow Turkana County to keep 10 per cent of revenue derived from the sale of crude oil from the area is a welcome development to a protracted conflict.

From this development, Turkana County, one of the most marginalised parts of our country, will benefit enormously when the country begins to export crude drilled from the region. According to proposals in the Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Bill, which went through its first reading in the National Assembly this week, MPs from the area will be required to approve contracts between the national government and oil companies.

Ultimately, this will go a long way in ensuring that local communities benefit from minerals found in their area. Initially, the national government had insisted that local communities were only entitled to five per cent of revenues raised from the export or sale of minerals. But this was reviewed and the new development could change the face of Turkana County, whose Lokichar basin sits on an estimated 750 million barrels of crude. If the Petroleum Bill becomes law, counties will begin to feel the full effects of the devolved functions of governance, especially if each county is able to raise more than the amount that the Treasury bequeaths to them.