Tullow Oil Kenya suspended crude oil trucking without telling the county, Deputy Governor Peter Lotethiro has said.
He said Tullow didn't involve the county government in the decision to suspend early oil trucking.
In its operational update, Tullow said trucking had been suspended because roads were badly damaged and unsafe due to heavy rains.
"Tullow didn't disclose to us about the suspension of early oil tracking and we also don't know why they have halted the process. We want trucking to resume immediately because we want to benefit from our oil, " he said.
Lotethiro spoke on weekend during the regional cross country event at Lodwar.
He said the Turkana County Government has never stopped the oil trucking since the President Uhuru Kenyatta flagged off the early oil pilot scheme.
H said Tullow should always involve the community in making such decisions.
Lotethirourged the national government to intervene immediately so trucking can resume.
Tullow's suspension of crude oil trucking to Mombasa is a blow to the Early Oil Pilot Scheme (EOPS) which had gained momentum after first exports last year.
The British oil explorer said the suspension is due to severe damage to roads, “caused by adverse weather in the fourth quarter of 2019.
“Trucking remains on hold until all roads are repaired to a safe standard,” Tullow said in its trading statement and operational update.
The suspension will affect export timeliness as the country has been accumulating crude for export at the old Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited, which has now been turned into a storage facility.
(Edited by V. Graham)
