Turkana outlines demands to be met before Tullow Oil resumes operations

Security officers take a break from keeping vigil at the Tullow Oil facility in Lokichar, Turkana South Constituency. (Photo:Peter Ochieng/Standard)

By Michael Wesonga

Turkana, Kenya: The Turkana community has laid down demands it wants met before Tullow Oil Company is allowed to resume oil exploration in the county.

They first want the immediate withdrawal of the case against Turkana South MP James Lomenen, who is facing charges of incitement and robbery with violence following a demonstration he led against Tullow that led to the suspension of oil exploration activities.

In a memorandum to the government, community leaders say the demonstration was peaceful and was sanctioned as well as witnessed by the Provincial Administration, security agencies and Tullow.

The community has absolved Lomenen from claims that his actions were led by personal interests.

They also want all professional calibre job interviews to be carried out in Turkana, where the work will be done, and not outside the county.

Tullow memorandum

The demands are captured in a document titled Memorandum to Tullow and the Ministry of Energy-Kenya arrived at during a meeting between Turkana leaders and the community on November 4, 2013.

“Our people should be employed in all managerial positions starting from the country management down to the field,” reads the document in part.

Through the memorandum, the community says it will complain if they are denied their rights and offered only menial jobs.

While urging Tullow to honour the demands as a priority to minimising unrest, they also want the firm to adhere to its employment formula.

“Employment should be based on locals getting 70 per cent, expatriates 10 per cent and other Kenyans 20 per cent,” the memo further states.

They also want liaison offices opened by Tullow in Lokichar, Turkana South Constituency, which hosts three drilling sites, for easy access of information and lodging of complaints and grievances.

Foreign intermediate companies have also been put on the spot as they will be required to restructure in a way that suits the community’s requirements and interests.

On tendering, the memorandum states: “If Tullow as a company is ready to uplift the standards of living of the community, then the locals should be given tenders. To our surprise, Tullow believes the community has no capacity to supply.” They have condemned the notion as outdated and tantamount to abuse as the same tenders have been issued in the past to employees, friends and tribal groupings outside Turkana.

They accuse Tullow of setting very high standards in the leasing of vehicles, a move they claimed was aimed at locking out locals, something they want stopped.

The Turkana are also demanding that a refinery be built in the region to process the explored oil.