Senator Edwin Sifuna has sounded the alarm on the Turkana oil deal, warning that what should have been a story of national growth is turning into a story of exploitation for the benefit of a few.

According to Sifuna, the company set to extract our oil, originally Tullow and now Gulf Energy, has changed ownership and names multiple times in just weeks. Warning that such rapid changes are often used to hide who really controls the company and who stands to gain.

The timing is highly suspicious. The government approved the Field Development Plan almost immediately after the last ownership change. Sifuna argues this is no accident but a carefully timed move to avoid public scrutiny.

The production contract has been altered repeatedly, but one change is especially concerning. On November 25, 2025, the maximum recoverable costs for oil production jumped from 55 percent to 85 percent.

This means nearly all the company’s expenses, including labor, fuel, repairs, transportation, and even cleanup costs, can be deducted before profits are shared with Kenyans. The company is guaranteed generous payments first, leaving whatever remains for the country. 

Local content laws meant to protect Kenyan workers and suppliers have also been ignored. Parliament passed the Local Content Bill to ensure oil projects create jobs, skills, and economic opportunities for communities.

Gulf Energy appears to have carved out an exemption using clever contract language, operating as if these laws do not exist.

Sifuna is calling on Parliament and Kenyans to demand answers. Who benefits from these rushed approvals? Why were the contract terms changed so dramatically? Why is local content being bypassed?

The senator insists the Turkana deal must be carefully examined, audited, and renegotiated in the public interest.

He stresses that natural resources belong to the people, and when extracted, the people should come first. Anything less, Sifuna warns, is a betrayal of trust and a failure of leadership.