Sifuna Warns Turkana Oil Deal Could Be Kenya’s Biggest Corruption Scandal
- Vincent Kiprop
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has warned that Kenya risks losing all potential revenue from its oil sector, describing the Turkana oil Field Development Plan (FDP) as a looming mega corruption scandal.
Speaking during an interview, Sifuna said the proposed FDP contains glaring red flags that could deny the country any meaningful financial benefit if it proceeds unchecked.
“I want to tell Kenyans that this is going to be the biggest corruption scandal Kenya has ever seen,” Sifuna said.
The ODM Secretary General noted that he was scheduled to travel to Turkana this week as part of the Senate Energy Committee to conduct public participation on the oil development plan.
“I was supposed to be in Turkana with the energy committee this week because we are doing public participation on this so-called Field Development Plan (FDP),” he stated.
Sifuna claimed that multiple aspects of the deal point to deliberate manipulation and corruption, warning that Kenya could end up empty-handed despite years of anticipation around oil production.
“There are so many things that point to obvious corruption in that deal, and I can assure you, if we do not fight that particular issue, Kenya is not going to see a single shilling of that oil,” he said.
The senator also reflected on the absence of veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, saying many leaders were struggling to navigate the political space without his guidance.
“Many of us miss Raila; it is just that sometimes we do not know what to do,” Sifuna remarked.
His comments come amid renewed debate over transparency in Kenya’s extractive sector, particularly concerning contracts, revenue-sharing agreements, and community benefits tied to oil production in Turkana.
The government has previously defended the FDP framework, insisting it is necessary to unlock Kenya’s oil potential. However, Sifuna’s remarks are likely to intensify calls for closer scrutiny of the deal before any final approvals are granted.
Kenya had resuscitated dreams to produce oil after the government finally approved the South Lokichar Basin Field Development Plan (FDP) on November 2025.
According to the Energy and Petroleum CS, Opiyo Wandayi, this marks a historic point in Kenya’s drive to build a modern, competitive, first-world economy.
"Today, I signed the instruments required for submission of the approved FDP to Parliament for ratification in accordance with Article 71 of the Constitution and Section 31 of the Petroleum Act (Cap. 308)," he said at a press conference in Nairobi.
This is the first time an FDP has advanced to this level, signaling Kenya’s shift from exploration to development and, soon, to commercial production. The process had been delayed for over a decade, prompting various partners in the project to exit.
In April last year, Tullow Oil PLC agreed to sell its entire Kenyan portfolio to Gulf Energy Ltd for a minimum consideration of $120 million, effectively exiting a project that had faced years of regulatory delays, partner withdrawals, and investment uncertainty.
The FDP was submitted to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) by Gulf Energy E&P BV (GE), a Kenyan investor licensed to develop Block T6 and Block T7 in the Tertiary Rift Basin.
It outlines how six discoveries within the development area will be fully developed, alongside further appraisal and exploration aimed at maximising resource recovery. rewrite this
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