The National Land Commission (NLC) has revealed that compensation payments for communities affected by the oil development project in the South Lokichar Basin remain stalled due to the Commission’s current lack of quorum following the exit of seven commissioners in November 2025.
The NLC Chief Executive Officer, Kabale Tache, while appearing before a joint sitting of the National Assembly Committee on Energy and the Senate Committee on Energy, has said the land acquisition process for infrastructure linked to petroleum activities in Turkana County had progressed to the valuation stage.
The project, which includes oil production facilities, pipelines, roads and an airstrip covering four key fields, Amosing, Twiga, Ngamia and Ekales was re-gazetted in October 2025 after earlier acquisition notices issued between 2016 and 2022 expired under statutory timelines.
Kabale told lawmakers that fresh inspections were conducted in December 2025 and January 2026 alongside public participation forums and stakeholder consultations involving national and county administration officials.
"This project was gazetted for compulsory acquisition vide Gazette Notice No. 1467 of 9th October 2025. Inspections were undertaken in December 2025 alongside renewed stakeholder engagements," Kabale told MPs.
Statutory inquiries into affected land parcels were held between December 16, 2025 and January 13, 2026, during which land ownership documents and personal identification records were collected from Project Affected Persons (PAPs).
"The Commission’s Valuation Report is currently under preparation and is expected to be finalised on or before 27th February, 2026, upon which the total project compensation cost will be established," she said.
The CEO has warned that compensation payments cannot proceed until the Commission is fully reconstituted, saying that only two commissioners remain in office below the legal threshold required to approve valuation reports and issue binding awards.
"At present, the Commission is not fully constituted following the lapse of tenure of seven Commissioners in November 2025, and the remaining two Commissioners do not meet the legal quorum required to make binding Commission determinations," Kabale said.
"Consequently, progression to award issuance and compensation payment is contingent upon the onboarding of additional Commissioners."
Tache confirmed that petroleum block boundaries had been redefined following surveys undertaken to determine the actual acreage affected, given that the land had initially been unsurveyed when earlier notices were issued.
Technical aspects of the reconstitution are expected to be addressed by the State Department of Petroleum, the acquiring authority for the project.
The CEO told the legislators that during the recent inquiry sessions, some community members raised concerns over alleged omissions in preliminary valuation schedules, forcing the Commission to announce plans to hold additional public engagement forums before the end of February to validate beneficiary records.
NLC further told lawmakers that local communities proposed leasing land for the project’s airstrip instead of compulsory acquisition, citing previous leasing arrangements with Tullow Oil. The matter will be subjected to further deliberations to determine the most appropriate legal and compensation framework.
"The Commission will undertake additional public engagement forums before the end of February 2026 to address and validate beneficiary records. Communities proposed leasing of the airstrip land instead of compulsory acquisition, citing prior arrangements with Tullow Oil where the airstrip had been leased," Kabale said.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to undertaking compulsory land acquisition in a lawful, transparent and participatory manner in line with its constitutional mandate in Kenya.
