Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi now says the government is expecting the export of crude oil from Lokichar in Turkana County to begin by the end of 2026.
Speaking on Monday, June 9, during an interview with NTV, Wandayi said the project experienced delays after a consortium that was initially established fell apart, leaving Tullow Oil alone.
“Development of petroleum fields takes time. Initially, there was a consortium that was managing this sector: Tullow Oil, Africa Oil, and Total. Later on, the consortium unraveled, and Tullow Oil was left alone. So it went about looking for strategic investors to be able to commercially progress the production of oil in the South Lokichar basin,” said Wandayi.
The Energy CS noted that Tullow Oil is being bought off by Gulf Oil Kenya, and the company is expected to take the commercialization of the Lokichar basin oil to the next level.
“We are hopeful that Gulf Oil is going to put together the necessary financial and technical resources to move that project to the next level. And once we are convinced as a ministry that Gulf Oil has the capacity to move to the next level, we are going to approve the field development plan that will then open the doors for the next commercial phase of the project,” Wandayi stated.
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He said the state is hopeful that by December 2026, a barrel of crude oil will be exported out of the country for refining.
“We are very hopeful that this time round we shall have commercial production of oil in the South Lokichar basin in Turkana. As a matter of fact, we are looking at, by the end of 2026, at least having a barrel of crude oil getting out of Lokichar heading to the coast for export,” Wandayi added.
The Lokichar basin oil fields were first discovered in 2012 by the Anglo-Irish firm Tullow Oil, but the project has stalled due to financial constraints.
In March 2025, Members of Parliament gave the Ministry of Energy and Tullow Oil until June 30, 2025, to finalize the FDP for the Turkana oil fields.
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