Tullow Stops Oil Exploration, Trucking in Kenya Due to Insecurity

British oil company Tullow Oil says it has stopped its oil exploration and trucking operations in Kenya due security issues. 

Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, Tullow CEO Paul McDade said the company withdrew all its staff in the Turkana oilfield after chaotic protests by local residents.

“What you saw locally was the local people, the community, using the trucking operation as a lever, really, to demonstrate to the national government that the security situation on the ground had to improve,” Mr McDade said. “It’s not a big issue for us.”

“We’d expect to be up there working, getting the field back operating again and trucks moving again in the near future. But it’s important to take the time out so that when we do return, we have a more secure environment.”

Turkana residents staged protests due to rise of insecurity in the area, vowing not to allow further exploration and transportation of the product from the oilfield until the government addresses the matter. 

Locals accused the government of paying focus on the millions of shillings expected from the oil project while neglecting the security situation in the county. The area constantly facea challenges of attacks by bandits.

President Kenyatta in June flagged off the pilot scheme, allowing for trucking of 600 barrels of oil per day to Mombasa by road.

Tullow is targeting to produce at least 100,000 barrels of oil per day.

Reports on the media indicate the company may have lost at least Sh200 million due to the stalemate caused by the local community, but the cost will be passed on to the taxpayers.

“The pilot is a data gathering exercise and it is about lessons. There were some distractions to trucking over the last couple of weeks and these are exactly the type of issues that we are trying to flush out,” said McDade.