Community Benefits from Oil

The discovery of Oil Discovery in Turkana in Turkana County generated expectations of significant community benefits including local employment, infrastructure development, revenue sharing, and improved services. However, actual benefits delivered to Turkana communities have been substantially less than promised, generating frustration and conflicts between communities and oil companies.

Promised Community Benefits

Initial promises and expectations included:

Direct employment of Turkana residents in oil sector jobs (drilling, wellhead operations, equipment maintenance, administration) Local supplier development and procurement (local content requirements to use local businesses and contractors) Infrastructure development (roads, electricity, water systems, schools, Health in Turkana facilities) funded by oil revenues or company corporate social responsibility programs Immediate community benefit payments and compensation for land and disruption Longer-term revenue sharing through county Turkana County Government oil revenues and community trusts Skills training and capacity building to prepare Turkana for oil sector employment

These promises were made by government officials, oil companies, and international development organizations, generating widespread community expectations.

Actual Benefits Delivered

In practice, benefits delivered have been far more limited:

Employment: The number of Turkana employed in oil sector jobs has been far below promised levels. Most technical and managerial positions have been filled by workers from outside Turkana (from other parts of Kenya or from outside Kenya). Turkana employment has been concentrated in lower-wage positions (general labor, guards, cleaners) rather than skilled technical roles. The total number of jobs created remains modest (hundreds rather than thousands).

Local Procurement: Local content requirements and local supplier development have had limited impact. Most equipment and services required for oil operations come from outside Turkana, supplied by national or international suppliers. Few Turkana businesses have successfully become oil sector suppliers. Where local procurement has occurred, it has often involved inflated prices paid to politically connected suppliers rather than genuinely empowering local business.

Infrastructure: Limited infrastructure development directly funded by oil companies or directly generated by oil revenues has occurred. Roads, electricity, and water systems promised as community benefits have not materialized at expected scales. County government has received some oil revenues but has faced challenges in translating these into infrastructure development (partly due to implementation capacity, partly due to corruption concerns).

Community Payments: Community compensation for land, displacement, and disruption has been minimal and contested. Tullow Oil signed community benefit agreements with some communities, but payment amounts have been disputed, and communities argue promised payments have not been delivered reliably or transparently.

Community Protests and Conflicts

Frustrated by limited benefits and environmental concerns, Turkana communities have staged protests against oil operations. Major protests occurred in 2017 and 2021, during which communities blocked road access to oil facilities, demanding implementation of promised benefits and contract transparency.

In 2017, protesters demanded community benefits, local employment, and contract disclosure. In 2021, protests again focused on unpaid community benefits and environmental concerns. These protests have generated tensions between communities and oil companies and raised questions about benefit-sharing arrangements and corporate accountability.

Transparency and Contract Issues

Communities and civil society organizations have demanded transparency in oil industry contracts and benefit arrangements. Oil companies have resisted full public disclosure of production-sharing contracts, citing commercial confidentiality. However, transparency advocates argue that resource contracts should be public to allow scrutiny and accountability.

The lack of transparency has fueled suspicion that benefits are being appropriated by officials and company executives rather than delivered to communities, contributing to social tensions.

Environmental and Health Impacts

Beyond economic benefits, communities have raised concerns about environmental and health impacts. Oil production generates risks of water contamination (through wastewater or spills), air pollution from facilities and flaring, and land degradation. However, health and environmental monitoring has been limited, making it difficult for communities to assess and document actual impacts.

Communities have argued that even if economic benefits were delivered as promised, environmental degradation would represent a net loss to the community.

Alternative Development Models

Some observers and organizations have suggested alternative approaches to oil development that would deliver greater community benefits: national ownership models (government ownership of oil assets rather than private company concessions), community trust structures (oil revenues directed to community-controlled trusts), stronger local content requirements, and environmental and social standards enforced through contract requirements.

However, as of 2026, development has continued under the initial private concessionaire model with limited local ownership, community control, or strong local content requirements.

Sources

Human Rights Watch (2015). Kenya: Oil Development Plans Threaten Pastoralists. Human Rights Watch Report. https://www.hrw.org/
Oxfam (2017). Greedy Oil: How Tullow's Turkana Project Betrays Kenya's Poor. Oxfam Report. https://www.oxfam.org/
Strathern, A. & Strathern, P. M. (2014). Oil and Pastoralist Peoples in Kenya. Anthropology Today, 30(2), 14-18. https://www.cambridge.org/
Kenya Revenue Authority (2019). Oil and Gas Sector Performance Report. Government of Kenya. https://www.kra.go.ke/

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