"Turkana Oil Deal Is The Biggest Scandal!" - Sifuna Says, Calls For Public Scrutiny

“Turkana Oil Deal Is The Biggest Scandal!” – Sifuna Says, Calls For Public Scrutiny

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has asked Kenyans to thoroughly investigate the Turkana Oil Field Development Plan (FDP) presently being debated in Parliament.

Senator Sifuna branded it as “the biggest scandal” of President William Ruto’s administration.

In a statement posted on his social media pages on Monday, December 29, Sifuna claimed that the agreements contain multiple red flags and suspicious revisions, the majority of which were made prior to parliamentary approval.

The FDP is the official and thorough design outlining how oil discovered in Turkana’s South Lokichar Basin, Blocks T6 and T7, would be developed and produced economically.

Parliament has invited your views on the Turkana Oil FDP that we are considering currently. You should pay attention because this is Ruto’s biggest scandal yet.

1. The ownership of the Company that is to produce the oil (Gulf Energy, Formerly Tullow) changed names and hands… pic.twitter.com/SHyRid7x4s
— Edwin Sifuna (@edwinsifuna) December 29, 2025

The senator questioned Gulf Energy’s decision to shift identities and ownership so quickly after being tasked with drilling oil.

The senator further alleged that the project’s original production contract had been modified multiple times, with a significant amendment taking effect on Tuesday, November 26.

The maximum recoverable cost for petroleum production increased from 55% to 85%.

“The ownership of the Company that is to produce the oil (Gulf Energy, formerly Tullow) changed names and hands multiple times in a matter of weeks,” Sifuna said.

“Days even. Your lawyer will tell you that’s symptomatic of attempts to mask real ownership. It is telling that the current FDP was approved by the government days after the last ownership changes,” he added.

Tullow Oil formally exited Kenya in September after completing the sale of its assets to Gulf Energy Limited, after 14 years at the forefront of the country’s oil exploration.

The Senator also mentioned a change made to a section of the agreement.

It broadened the definition of capital expenditure to include labor, fuel, repairs, maintenance, haulage, mobilization, supplies, materials, and decommissioning expenditures.

Sifuna has also accused the Senate of weakening the Local Content Act, which was enacted to guarantee that oil firms prioritize locally available labour, goods, and services by exempting the Gulf.

“We don’t have leaders. We have dealers in government who don’t care about anything other than themselves,” Sifuna said.

The Senate’s standing committee on Energy issued a notice inviting the public to submit written memoranda on the Field Development Plan and Production Sharing Contracts as part of the project’s ratification procedure.

The public has been directed to give their feedback through email or hand delivery to the clerk of the Senate on or before Friday, January 16.

“The FDP and Product Sharing Contracts for Blocks T6 and 17 in South Lokichar, Turkana County, outline the proposed commercial development of six oil discoveries in the Lokichar Basin,” the notice read.

“The Plan and Contracts further detail infrastructure plans, environmental safeguards, community obligations, and projected national benefits.”

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Tullow first came into the country in 2011 to spearhead oil exploration efforts after oil was discovered in Lokichar, Turkana.

At the time, the exploration was done to make Kenya an oil producer and exporter.

However, since then, full production of oil in Kenya has not been achieved, mainly because the country lacks the necessary infrastructure.

For instance, a steady pipeline to transport oil from Turkana to the coast for export has been a pressing problem for decades.

“Turkana Oil Deal Is The Biggest Scandal!” – Sifuna Says, Calls For Public Scrutiny