Testing pastoralist community consent: oil in Turkana

Oil discoveries in the South Lokichar Basin in Turkana County have brought Kenya into the global spotlight of emerging oil producers. At the same time, questions remain about the impact these discoveries will have on the future of the pastoralist communities who live there. The Oxfam Briefing Paper “Testing community consent: Tullow Oil project in Kenya” (2017, 66pp) assesses the extent of Tullow Oil’s compliance with the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). It examines the company’s engagement in selected communities in Turkana Country and finds that, while community engagement processes have improved in important ways, it has yet to achieve FPIC. The study provides recommendations that contribute to the evidence base for FPIC practice beyond this project, in order to improve FPIC implementation across the oil and gas industry.

Posted on 11 November 2017 in Pastoralism & Extractives