Page 6 - DMEA Week 36 2021

DMEA COMMENTARY DMEA

Another East African pipeline

faces ESG challenges

Turkana County authorities have continued to fight Kenya’s government
over land acquisition for the oil pipeline component of the LAPSSET project

AFRICA ESG (environmental, social and governance) the grounds that it threatens local interests.
issues are already having a disruptive impact on It remains to be seen whether the county’s
East Africa’s midstream sector. objections to LLCOP ultimately have the same
WHAT: As NewsBase has reported previously, several impact as the NGO campaign against EACOP.
Nairobi is at odds with commercial banks and export credit agencies They may not, if they do not end up drawing the
the Turkana County have decided against supporting the East Africa same level of international attention as the latter.
administration over land Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) since a group of
acquisition for the LLCOP more than 200 non-governmental organisations Land acquisition issues
pipeline. (NGOs) launched a public campaign designed So far, the topic has mostly drawn interest from
to draw attention to the project’s impact on Kenyan press agencies, which reported recently
WHY: local ecosystems and greenhouse gas (GHG) that Josphat Nanok, the governor of Kenya’s
The midstream project is emissions. Turkana County, and James Lomenen Ekomwa,
the key to unlocking oil But ESG issues aren’t just gaining prominence a member of Kenya’s Parliament representing
production in the South because of campaigning by NGOs. They’re also Turkana South, had criticised the government’s
Lokichar basin. arising on the local level, as a consequence of approach to acquiring land for LLCOP.
efforts to protect the interests of local and indige- Nanok recently alleged that Kenya’s National
WHAT NEXT: nous communities – as developments surround- Land Commission (NLC) had begun acquiring
If the land acquisition ing the oil pipeline component of the Lamu land on behalf of the State Department of Petro-
dispute gains more Port-South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor leum and Mining in violation of the country’s
attention on the global (LAPSSET) initiative demonstrate. constitution and existing body of law. More
stage, the Kenyan These efforts have been spearheaded by the specifically, he charged that NLC had impinged
government’s effort to government of Turkana County, which is lobby- upon local authorities’ rights in the process of
move the project forward ing against the government’s approach to land laying the groundwork for LLCOP.
may stall. acquisition for the Lokichar-Lamu Crude Oil “The county government is the custodian
Pipeline (LLCOP) project. of the community land and must be included
County authorities have already failed in in such processes like compulsory land acqui-
their bid to make the court system, rather than sition,” he was quoted as saying by the Nation
county and national governments, responsible daily newspaper.
for the land acquisition process. Nevertheless, He urged Nairobi to consult more closely
they are still working to block the pipeline, on with the county administration, saying that this

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 36 09•September•2021