State must act firmly to protect national assets

One might easily dismiss the demands by councillors in Turkana County that the Government to specify how the county will benefit from the recent oil find and ongoing exploration for the black gold.

But would be both foolish and shortsighted as it masks a growing concern over sharing of revenue between counties and the National Government, especially where such revenue comes from natural resources like oil and other minerals.

The transitional authority that is meant to manage the process of devolution of government to the counties is still just words on paper and there is no idea when it will become law.

In the meantime, the Government must make it clear that all minerals are national assets and not the preserve of the counties in which they are plentiful.
Unless this is done firmly and quickly, politicians will step into the void and inflame local passions to make unrealistic and potentially devastating demands on the State.

In the case of the oil in Turkana, the action of the councillors raises serious security concerns that could end up rocking the confidence of investors in the sector, including the prospecting firms.

Turkana sits on untold wealth that can completely transform its economy. This includes vasts underground lakes that could be the basis for irrigated farming.

Mining this wealth and leaving nothing for the residents would be wrong. However, the formula for sharing this wealth must be written in law