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By Samantha Luseno, Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Engagement Officer Published in the Standard Newspaper on 11th December 2020 Tullow Oil has recently received an extension of its contract to end of 2021 and Ministry of Petroleum and Mining has approved its annual work plan and budget to enable it do so. Water towards the project is envisioned to come from Turkwel Dam in West Pokot County which is predominantly a drought prone region. The Constitution of Kenya adopted in 2010 but taking effect in 2013 sought to bring public services broadly closer to citizens. The governance of the water sector was among those decentralized specifically cascading down to counties the function of provision of water and sanitation services. Occasioned by the devolution of power, there was great progress in the…

By Samantha Luseno, Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Engagement Officer Published in The Standard Newspaper on 4th December 2020 Mining activities while extremely lucrative for mining companies and investors alike, predominantly take place in drought prone areas and could have devastating impacts on the environment including water quality and quantity. These impacts majorly affect surrounding communities. An extreme illustration of these is the impact on the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta in Nigeria where oil production takes place, it has been documented that not only is water quantity affected by production activities, water consumed and utilized by communities tends to contain residual oil from oil spills during production even years after clean up.  The impact on water quality and quantity of Kenya’s evolving oil and gas industry has not been…

By Samantha Luseno, Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Engagement Officer, KCSPOG Published in the Standard Newspaper on 20th November 2020 An often-forgotten link is the role that water plays in the attainment of current and future energy sector development goals. Globally, countries are moving towards renewable energy to replace fossil fuels like oil and gas. In Kenya, which is generating enough electricity locally to meet domestic demand, renewable energy accounts for over 85 percent of locally generated electricity. This positions it as a leader in the renewable energy sector in the African continent. Water is among the most common sources, coming only second to geothermal. In 2019, Hydroelectric power accounted for approximately 29.3 per cent of total installed capacity within the country, and 27.6 percent of locally generated electricity. As it…

By Samantha Luseno, Resource Mobilization and Partnership Engagement Officer-KCSPOG Published in the Standard Newspaper on Friday 13th November 2020 Since the discovery of commercially viable oil reserves in Turkana County the government through the implementing entities have adapted to mitigate the environmental impacts through legislative changes. The Petroleum Act, 2019 encompasses provisions on environmental compliance and waste management. More recently, the State Department for Petroleum and National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) also published guidelines for oil and gas companies relating to waste management, and air quality. Majority of the provisions relating to water governance within these documents elaborately speak to the impact of exploration activities on water quality. While the importance of these developments cannot be undermined, the documents appear to be largely silent on the impact of exploration activities…

By Samantha Luseno-Resource Mobilization and Partnership Engagement Officer  Published on Standard Newspaper on 2nd October 2020 In 2012, post discovery of oil in Kenya, famous cartoonist GADO published a cartoon in one of the daily’s with the Mwananchi in Turkana pondering over when the Government of Kenya would find water now that they had found oil.  While article 43 of the Constitution of Kenya states that every person shall have the right to clean and safe water in adequate amounts, Turkana County is a historically marginalized region with access to water being among its major challenges. 8 years since the discovery of oil and gas in the county, concerns around access to water continue to prevail. As the exploration phase nears its end, and we approach the Final Investment Decision…

By Samantha Luseno, Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Engagement Officer Oil and gas was discovered in South Lokichar, Turkana-Kenya in 2012, with the immediate promise of contribution to the national economy. Estimates in 2019 put projected revenue for the sector at Kshs 150 billion annually once commercial production begins (initially in 2022). Kenya Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas in its Setting the Agenda Report pointed to the need for oil and gas industry in Kenya to contribute to the economy through job creation and fostering the development of local businesses as well. In Kenya, Medium Small and Micro Enterprise (MSMEs) account for 81.1 per cent of overall employment. This points to the need to recognize the place of MSMEs within budding industries, such as oil and gas in Kenya,…