Stop Grumbling, Team Up With Tullow and Build Dams

Is there a way of roping in the pastoralists of Turkana into oil benefits sharing schemes?

There has been much talk about impacts of oil discoveries to national economies, local populations and political formations in oil-producing zones. We have been told oil discoveries and eventual (oil) exploitation qualify to be the "in-thing" of positive socio-economic transformations and that Kenya should "rejoice" for being lucky to have oil deposits.

Many have opined - perhaps basing on worst cases elsewhere - that Kenya should be "extra careful" when handling this resource for it can lead to unrests and/or "militaristic engagements." Still others are of the view that benefit sharing should - as a principle - be based on a centralised formula. Say for example, Nairobi-based bureaucrats would decide what goes where and for what purpose.

What is conspicuously missing in all these narratives is the place of the pastoralists communities inhabiting those oil-rich areas. It seems, according to our projections, that their needs amount to nothing. Even others are of the view that pastoralists' demands will be "dealt with the day they open their eyes".

Clearly, this mentality stands no chance to warrant a smooth exploitation of this resource. Much reflection and respect of host communities must be incorporated in our engagements and interventions. It is farcical, at this time and era, to expect to ride over people and expect no resistance. Pastoralists are equally entitled to the benefits accruing from oil exploration and/or exploitation in their lands.

Several questions come to mind. How can we spread these benefits to a population whose lifestyle is classified as "not modern" and in wide contrast with the normative procedures of corporate social responsibilities?

How can we strike a balance between the wider community interests on one hand and fostering of a solid investor-community confidence and long-term plans of (oil) corporate honchos, on the other hand?

Can piecemeal interventions targeting the twenty-percent literate members of this community be considered a wholesome action for the benefit of the community? (Mark you, over eighty percent of people in Turkana County are classified as illiterate.)

Surely we are under obligation to rethink our strategies on this matter. The Turkana case is important in defining our commitment.

I think I can offer some insights. The noises over migration routes for pastoralists and take-over (by oil companies) of hitherto grazing lands for oil exploration activities can be remedied. Questions over sidelining of host communities in employment and day-to-day operations too can be remedied.

These two issues can be collapsed into one: To calm down tensions over grazing lands and jobs, the answer is one. Water is the answer.

Pastoralists don't move and quarrel over migration routes because they want to. This is purely predicated on survival instincts. They move in search of water. They don't migrate for adventure as some of us may think.

So to block their routes is akin to imprisoning them. To occupy their grazing lands and offer no alternatives amounts to strangling them. This I know: They will never allow this to go unchallenged.

And so a question pops up: How can we "bring" water and grass to these people? The answer is simple and clear: Turkana needs dams.

This is why. The county is dotted with many seasonal rivers that can be converted to permanent water reservoirs. The only simple way to appeal to pastoralists neighbouring oil wells that benefits accruing from oil exploration reached them is by quenching their thirst. You can only do this by shortening their distances. Build dams near them.

There is another sweet point. Permanent water points create permanent settlements. In permanent settlements is found a clear roadmap for people's empowerment. Empowered people stand a better chance to be level-headed and can thwart any attempts to hoodwink them.

This, my people, is what Turkana needs. And we have a chance to make this happen. It is possible. 

This is what we need to do: Team up with Tullow Oil Plc (the company carrying out oil prospection in Turkana) and build dams. Stop grumbling and engage your brains in pushing for your interests. 

To fight over petty tenders and forget about long-term interests of all is symptomatic of a community depending on raw power to seek answers. 

Leaders must re-evaluate their strategies. We need water like yesterday. 

Lemukol Ng'asike is an architect. Email:  lemoseh89@gmail.com.  Twitter:  @mlemukol.