[Source: Daily Nation, by Brian Wasuna]
Just nine months after Turkana County and the national government struck a deal over sharing of oil revenue, a fresh war has erupted that threatens to derail progress.
At the centre of the row is a new government plan to acquire 66,634 acres of community land for the oil and Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor projects.
Turkana County claims the national government has entered into secret contracts with British firm Tullow Oil for the excising of 15,686 acres of land without involving the devolved unit as required by law.
Ms Esther Lokiyo, Turkana’s county executive committee member for land, energy, housing and urban areas management, says the government has also secretly entered into agreements with the Lapsset Corridor Development Authority for setting aside of 50,948 acres for the mega infrastructure project.
Turkana wants the High Court in Kitale to quash two Gazette notices published by the National Land Commission last month, which notified the public of plans to compulsorily acquire land on behalf of the Petroleum and Mining ministry and the Lapsset Corridor Development Authority.
The county has sued the National Land Commission (NLC) and Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki. Neither the NLC nor Mr Kihara have responded to the suit.
The court has ordered the parties to attend a hearing on Tuesday.
The NLC published a Gazette notice on February 8 seeking to acquire 15,686 acres for upstream development, South Lokichar Basin oil project and another one seven days later for the acquisition of 50,948 acres to implement the Lapsset project and ancillary facilities.
For the South Lokichar Basin, the NLC intends to acquire land from at least 516 owners.
Under the Lapsset project, an 865km pipeline is to be built connecting Lokichar, the oil mining site, to Lamu seaport.
[Full article: Daily Nation, by Brian Wasuna]
