This archive report was first published on 28 June 2020.
On June 28, 2020, Petroleum and Mining Cabinet Secretary John Munyes clarified that oil exploration in Kenya was still ongoing, contrary to some claims that Tullow Oil had withdrawn from the country.
Speaking to journalists, Munyes attributed slight hiccups in oil production and transportation to the COVID-19 pandemic and natural calamities like floods.
He cited the early oil pilot scheme (EOPS) as an example, which was temporarily halted due to the destruction of the road connecting Turkana and West Pokot by heavy floods and landslides, as well as challenges in the global oil market.
CS Munyes also announced the formation of a consortium, Project Oil Kenya, comprising Africa Oil, Total Kenya, Tullow Oil, and the national government, aimed at realizing Kenya's dream of becoming an oil-exporting country.
However, Munyes stated that if Tullow Oil wished to withdraw from the consortium, it would be free to sell its shares to another company of its choice.
The national government is currently planning a larger-scale oil exploration project between 2022 and 2023, targeting bigger companies like Total Kenya, Shell, or Chinese companies to produce oil on a larger scale and transport it to Lamu through a pipeline.
