Resource benefits slowly flowing into sleepy villages of Turkana

Kapese village might pass the cliché description of a sleepy village. Until recently, few people could trace it on the Kenyan map. It is however becoming increasingly popular and slowly creeping into the everyday talk among Kenyans.

Its popularity went a notch higher yesterday, when it hosted Kenya’s political and oil industry elite that had gone to witness President Uhuru Kenyatta flag off the first convoy of trucks ferrying crude oil from nearby oil fields to Mombasa.

Like Lokichar and even the larger Turkana County, Kapese is gaining relevance among Kenyans only because of what lies beneath it.

And while the Early Oil Pilot Scheme (EOPS), which kicked off in earnest with the flagging off of the first four trucks carrying the oil to Mombasa, will not give Turkana residents the much-anticipated wealth, it could make life more bearable for residents. That is, at least while they wait for the promised petro-dollars in 2022.

The early oil project will without a doubt see an increase in State machinery in Turkana, as has been witnessed in Kapese, that might result in the much-needed increase in security, better flow of water, grid electricity and better roads.

The developments have however been necessitated only by the Government’s need to start exporting oil, the resource that has made the county a lot more relevant to the rest of Kenya after years of neglect.

Primary goal

While the primary goal of bringing these amenities to Turkana will be to ensure that the early oil project and the subsequent commercial oil production phase are a success, it will also have the secondary impact of improving infrastructure and other amenities badly needed by residents.

The Ministry of Petroleum has in the past said if the international price of crude oil moved to more than $55 (Sh5,500) per barrel, the early oil project could break even.

But the reality is dawning on the country that even with the per barrel price of crude oil being over $75 (Sh7,500) last week, the early oil project will not make any money.

Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau said, in jest, that anybody who had ordered a private jet in anticipation that they would get money during the early oil project should cancel the order.

"Early oil is not a commercial project. As for breaking even and how much money is going to be made or when the communities are going to get the money, it is not a relevant question," Mr Kamau said last week.

But he also said there would be significant improvement in infrastructure as the pilot project unfolded and gave way to the commercial phase of the oil project.

Key among the areas that will see improvement is the road between Kitale and Lodwar, which he said although motorable, there were plans to build it.

For almost 40 years, the section of the road between Kainuk and Lodwar in Turkana County has not been repaired. It has over time blended with the surrounding wilderness and become a nightmare for motorists. The bad road has effectively cut off Lodwar from the rest of Kenya, with many traders moving goods to South Sudan opting to use the longer Ugandan route.

Three contractors were given the job of rehabilitating the road but fell short of expectations.

Along the road is the now-infamous Kainuk Bridge, which has over the years prompted transporters to stop in the bandits-prone town for the night or more whenever it rains.

The bridge over Turkwel River is receiving special attention to ease movement for trucks that will be moving crude oil to Mombasa. A drift temporarily built to enable movement in the absence of the bridge, which was washed away by recent floods, is being strengthened to enable the trucks to cross the river as the bridge is being built anew.

“The bridge has had problems but we will use a drift. It is being strengthened by the Kenya National Highways Authority. The bridge is also being redone and will be ready by April next year,” said Kamau.

The area will also get piped water, with plans in place to build a pipeline from Turkwel Dam to Lokichar. The water will be used in the oil production process, but the pastoralist communities in West Pokot and Turkana counties might benefit from it.