West Pokot leaders have intensified calls for a formal share of Kenya’s burgeoning oil revenues, as legislators conduct public hearings on the South Lokichar Field Development Plan.
The exchanges, held on Thursday in Turkwel, Kapenguria constituency, underscored simmering tensions over resource benefits and local inputs to extraction.
The hearings, convened by a joint committee of the National Assembly and Senate energy committees, brought together MPs, local officials and community representatives. At issue was a proposition that West Pokot — though outside the boundaries of the oilfields in Turkana County — should receive a proportionate share of the financial returns, on grounds that the South Lokichar project relies on water drawn from rivers and reservoirs in the county.
EARLY REVENUE
Julius Mawathe, MP for Embakasi South, articulated the core grievance: “Water from West Pokot will be used in oil production. The residents must therefore benefit,” he said, linking hydrological inputs to fiscal entitlements.
The debate is occurring against the backdrop of modest early revenues from crude sales. Under the Early Oil Pilot Scheme, Tullow Oil and partners exported about 350,000 barrels of Turkana crude to global markets, generating approximately $4 million (Sh517 million) in sales, from which the Kenyan government earned $1.915 million (Sh247.9 million) in royalties in 2024.
Government officials sought to frame benefits more tangibly. Felix Shiundu, resident engineer at the National Irrigation Authority, outlined plans for 60,000 acres of irrigation in West Pokot, supported by six water supply points to boost food security.
TREATED WATER
Former governor John Lonyangapuo and Kapenguria MP Samuel Moroto pressed for accompanying investments in electricity, health facilities and social services, recalling unmet commitments from earlier infrastructure projects such as the Turkwel Dam.
Bethwell Sang, Gulf Energy’s social performance lead, confirmed water will be sourced from Turkwel Dam, with infrastructure to channel treated water both to oil operations and to communities.
Community leaders also pressed for a defined revenue share — with one calling for a 20 per cent allocation of oil proceeds to West Pokot — and equitable employment as Gulf Energy moves toward commercial production.
