Pay heed to communities’ interests in mining ventures

Kenya: Failure to have an effective communication strategy between the government, Tullow Oil Company and the local Turkana community in the area where oil exploration is underway is the one major factor that is being cited as the catalyst for demonstrations last week that brought operations at the site to a standstill.

Whereas President Uhuru Kenyatta is to be commended for moving fast to defuse what could have become an explosive issue, his government cannot escape responsibility for failing to educate the local people, in particular, and the whole country in general on what they should expect from their new-found wealth.