Flow Energy Limited is planning to explore oil and gas in Block L6, Lamu and Tana Delta Districts, covering a total area of about 3142.61km2 with approximately 25% onshore. The company would be carrying out seismic surveys to prospect for commercially viable oil and gas deposits, the success of which will lead to drilling of oil and gas wells and subsequent commercial production. |
| Name of conflict: | Oil and Gas Exploration in Block L6, Lamu and Tana Delta Districts, Kenya |
| Country: | Kenya |
| State or province: | Coast Province |
| Location of conflict: | Tana Delta and Lamu Districts |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Oil and gas exploration and extraction Wetlands and coastal zone management |
| Specific commodities: | Biological resources Natural Gas |
| Project details | Flow Energy Limited, an oil exploration company based in Melbourne, Australia plans to acquire seismic data along profiles of up to 140 km in length near the towns of Witu, Kipini and Kiongwe. The seismic lines are programmed to be on the eastern side of the Tana River and are intended to in-fill the existing seismic survey results which had initially been recorded by a BP/Shell consortium from 1966 to 1970. Success of this exercise will lead to drilling of oil and gas wells and subsequent commercial production. |
| Project area: | 314000 |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Affected Population: | 100,000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 07/2010 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Flow Energy Limited from Australia |
| Relevant government actors: | The National Environment Management Authority; Ministry of Energy; National Oil Corporation of Kenya; Kenya Wildlife Service; Lamu and Tana River County Councils; and 20 other Government bodies in the Tana Delta Secretariat coordinated by the Prime Minist |
| International and Finance Institutions | UK Aid from United Kingdom Jensen Foundation from United States of America United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) from United States of America Lush Pot Charity (IUCN) Wetlands International (WI) The World Bank (WB) from United States of America European Union (EU) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Kenya Oil and Gas Working Group (consortium of over 10 national environmental NGOs); Eastern Africa Environmental Network; Nature Kenya; East Africa Wild Life Society; BirdLife Africa Partnership; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; Kenya Wildlife |
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Indigenous groups or traditional communities Local ejos Pastoralists |
| Forms of mobilization: | Objections to the EIA |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems Potential: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Potential: Loss of livelihood |
| Project Status | Under construction |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | A multiple land use plan should first be developed and agreed by stakeholders before any major development project in the Tana Delta is approved. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | NEMA approved the project even though the EIA was weak and lacked adequate impacts assessment and no real commitment that the impacts mitigation plan will be followed; had inadequate baseline information on biodiversity; lacked detailed maps showing the specific locations of the seismic surveys; and had inadequate assessment of the cumulative impacts of this project with other development proposals |
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| Contributor: | Serah Munguti |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 34 |