Kenya is targeting December 2026 to begin commercial crude oil exports from the Turkana region, more than 14 years after oil was discovered in the country’s South Lokichar Basin, as the government seeks to turn its petroleum resources into a new source of revenue.
- Kenya aims to start commercial crude oil exports from the Turkana region by December 2026, over 14 years after oil was discovered in South Lokichar Basin.
- President William Ruto announced the export target, but there is uncertainty over the timeline due to financing, infrastructure needs, and development negotiations.
- Gulf Energy, through Auron Energy E&P Limited, now leads the project after acquiring Tullow Oil's interest.
- Future plans include linking production to Dangote’s proposed 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu via a new pipeline.
President William Ruto announced the target on October 20, raising expectations that Kenya could move beyond pilot shipments to commercial-scale oil production.
“In the months ahead, we will unlock new opportunities in our energy sector. Work in the Lake Turkana Basin is progressing rapidly, with oil exports targeted to begin in December,” Ruto said.
According to Eastleigh Voice, financing constraints, infrastructure needs and negotiations over oilfield development have delayed progress on the project despite successive government efforts to move it forward.
However, the country’s energy regulator had previously indicated that production would begin in December, with the first exports expected to leave Mombasa in the first quarter of 2027, highlighting uncertainty over the export timetable.
Gulf Energy leads Kenya’s long-delayed oil development
The South Lokichar Basin’s oil deposits were discovered in 2012 by Tullow Oil and its partners. Development stalled for years amid concerns about commercial viability, financing and infrastructure, delaying plans to develop the fields at scale.
Kenyan energy group Gulf Energy is now leading the project after acquiring Tullow Oil’s entire working interest in Kenya through its affiliate, Auron Energy E&P Limited. The transaction was completed in September 2025 for a minimum cash consideration of $120 million, according to Tullow Oil’s 2025 annual report.
The company plans to begin with production of about 20,000 barrels per day, with the potential to increase output to 50,000 barrels per day as development progresses. A drilling rig supplied under a long-term lease arrangement with China’s Great Wall Drilling Company arrived at the Port of Mombasa in September, ahead of planned drilling in November.
Kenya has exported crude oil before. In 2019, it shipped approximately 200,000 barrels under the Early Oil Pilot Scheme, earning about $12 million. The programme tested the market for Kenyan crude ahead of full commercial development.
The latest plan therefore marks a push towards sustained commercial production rather than Kenya’s first-ever oil shipment. If the timetable holds, Turkana could become a new source of export earnings for the country, although the December target and the timing of the first commercial cargo remain important milestones to watch.
Turkana oil could supply Dangote’s proposed Lamu refinery
Kenya’s planned commercial oil production could also support Aliko Dangote’s proposed 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu, linking the Turkana oilfields to a wider push to establish an East African refining hub.
President William Ruto has announced plans for a pipeline connecting the South Lokichar Basin to Lamu, where Dangote intends to develop the refinery.
The proposed infrastructure could provide a route for transporting Kenyan crude to the coastal facility, although the pipeline and refinery would need to be developed before they could support commercial operations.