Shutdown of Tullow Oil drilling starts to bite

By Michael Wesonga

Turkana, Kenya: The effects of the shutdown of operations by Tullow Oil in Turkana County have started to show.

Apart from employees hired by Tullow being out of work, other investors around the oil exploration have started downsizing their operations, driven by apprehension over the direction the conflict will take.

They include the African Camp Solutions (ACS), the firm offering accommodation at Tullow Company oil rigs.

ACS operations manager Edward Yaweh said they moved to the site in January this year and had begun operations early in April.

But they have been forced to reduce their workforce from 250 to a paltry 36 staff due to the conflict that broke out last month.

“We cannot sustain their employment but we are hoping for for a positive outcome from the conflict,” he says.

Yahweh observed that any disruption to Tullow’s operations seriously affects other investors who have have invested millions of shillings to offer support services to the oil exploration.

“We have definitely experienced ups and downs before in our other chain of businesses in Kenya but it has never gotten out of hand like this,” he regrets.

He said they have invested in excess of Sh180 million in initial capital on infrastructure alone and were in the process of establishing 250 accommodation units.

When The Standard visited to the company’s base in Likichar, about 12 prestigious vehicles comprising Pajeros, Landcruisers and passenger vans were leaving the camp that is secured by an electric perimeter wall.

Tents burnt

“It is evident that the vehicles would have been torched or damaged during the demonstrations before they were hidden at the facility,” he explains.

Yahweh revealed that the camp suffered a similar fate some time back when a section of its tents were burnt down by locals.

The ACS Proprietor Willy Roberts, said the demonstrations that led to the shutdown took place just when they were about to sign the first contract with Tullow.

“We had employed 100 per cent locals from all over the region including Kapese, Lokichar, Kalapata and Kainuk among others. We have had to lay them off as we await the way forward,” he states.

 “We were feeding every worker on site with supplies coming from the local market at Lokichar town. We cannot continue doing so as long as Tullow is shut,” he says.

 Jackson Nakusa, ACS social investment manager, said they have been buying 19 goats every week at Sh 5,000 each since July to feed the workers.

“Additionally, the local communities used to enjoy free transport services,” he said.

Yaweh adds that they were also offering water tanker services to members of the community - that has also been shelved.

Locals are also having to contend with lack of water as the taps at water points have been switched off owing to suspension of operations by investors who were providing free water.