Turkana County has begun a comprehensive environmental and social impact audit of former oil exploration activities in South Lokichar Basin as authorities prepare for the production phase under new operator Gulf Energy.

A multi-sectoral team has been deployed to Blocks T6 and T7 to collect samples for laboratory analysis, interview residents and conduct stakeholder engagements, officials from the State Department for Petroleum and the lead consultancy firm said during a meeting with Deputy Governor John Erus in Lodwar.

Team Leader Tito Kodiaga said the audit would examine exploration-related operations –including waste management – to document their effects on the environment, livestock, infrastructure and local communities.

Samples are being collected from water sources, soil, livestock, grazing fields, agricultural produce and waste materials. Public and private sector agencies, as well as independent professionals, are participating in the assessment.

Kodiaga said the findings would help establish a clear baseline on the condition of the affected areas and identify any remedial actions required before full-scale production begins. He noted that community views would form part of the final recommendations to ensure that local concerns are addressed during the production phase.

The exercise comes more than a decade after Tullow Oil discovered commercially viable oil deposits in South Lokichar in 2012, in a basin estimated to contain millions of barrels of recoverable oil.

Tullow and its joint venture partners Africa Oil and TotalEnergies exited the project several years ago, paving the way for Gulf Energy Ltd to take over as operator.

Dr Erus welcomed the audit, saying it would provide critical data to guide a coordinated response to longstanding community concerns.

“The audit should not only be transparent but also independent and inclusive, with means of sharing the findings with all stakeholders. The people of Turkana must know what happened during exploration and what to expect during production,” he said.

He noted that residents of Lokichar, Kapese and Nakukulas had for years raised concerns over dust pollution, disposal of drilling cuttings, well decommissioning and restricted access to grazing corridors, without a public assessment being conducted.

Dr Erus called on the State Department to institutionalise regular audits and compliance checks of licensed operators, particularly as production approaches under Gulf Energy. The audit runs from August 30 to October 3, with the team expected to submit an interim report followed by a final report detailing the environmental and social impacts and recommended compliance measures.

County directorates of energy and natural resources and officials from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) are expected to participate in the consultations. Also present were environmentalist Vitalis Too, consultant Augustine Lokwang and representatives of the consultancy firm.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Peter Gitonga