Kenya have started the week beautifully with news of oil discovery in Turkana. President Kibaki broke the news to Kenyans but added that successful drilling is still years away. “This morning, I have been informed by the Minister for Energy that our country has made a major breakthrough in oil exploration. This weekend, Tullow Oil, which has been prospecting for oil in block 10 BB in Turkana County, discovered oil in Ngamia-1 well, at a depth of between 846 and 1041 meters. They established over 20 meters of what is technically referred to as OIL-PAY. To establish commercial viability of this oil, they have to drill multiple wells,” said President Kibaki.
“This is the first time Kenya has made such a discovery and it is very good news for our country. It is however the beginning of a long journey to make our country an oil producer, which typically takes in excess of 3 years. We shall be giving the nation more information as the oil exploration process continues.”
Kenya now joins neighbors Uganda and South Sudan in the league of oil producing countries. However, in many online forums, Kenyans are skeptical about the discovery citing the ‘oil curse’, where majority of oil producing nations are haunted by violence and war. It is however hoped that Kenya’s discovery will be a start of great things.
© nairobiwire.com
