Hassan Huka
30 October 2009
Nairobi — Exploration of Oil in Isiolo District might not go as expected, following protests by the local people.
The residents in Merti division marched to the site of the exploration on Wednesday, accusing the government and the Chinese oil company of not involving them in the exercise.
Energy minister, Kiraitu Murungi, launched the search for the oil through satellite recently and announced that the country will know whether it will join the ranks of oil rich countries by the end of next year.
The Nation learnt that the government was informed of the protests in advance, a situation which prompted the launch to be done through satellite in Nairobi and not on site.
The reason given for the launch of the exercise in Nairobi was the heavy rains pounding the Northern part of the country currently.
A civil rights activist, Mr Daudi Tari, demanded that the company, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, gives jobs to the locals and address environmental concerns resulting from the exercise.
"When the Chinese company come to our land to look for oil, they did not involve us in the process and our people have to be paid well for the environmental degradation caused by digging," Mr Tari said.
Ownership
The law governing mining in the country gives the government ownership rights of all minerals underneath and empowers it to undertake forceful eviction of those who might be unwilling to move in areas where economically viable quantities of minerals are found.
During the protests, scores of youths thronged the gate of the drilling compound carrying placards and chanting haki yetu (our rights).
They accused the firm of not considering them for employment, a situation the company's public relations officer, Mr Robert Karume, denied saying all casual workers were picked from the area.
Local leaders were disappointed when they arrived at the site and realised the launch was being done elsewhere.
Cherab DO, Tobias Otunga, assured the locals that they stood to gain, if oil is discovered in the area.
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Worldwide, the overvaluation of mineral rights is a major cause of destruction. Whether capitalist, socialist or some mixture, economies undervalue land until forced to do otherwise. Slow down! There is no hurry to get that oil. Your oil can be a blessing for generations, if you develop it leisurely for yourselves. If you develop it hastily and for export, you will learn about the "oil curse", which is really a curse of having too much of your economy turning on oil export money. A small amount of export money can be good for you. Too much employs your people away from production for local consumption, and thus makes you increasingly dependent on imports in a vicious circle. And then, oil will run out, cursing you again as it disappears. And the world needs to not have that oil. Make the developed world kick its oil addiction.