Kenya: Turkana drilling rig arrives in Mombasa, first barrel targeted for December 2026
Kenya is moving closer to joining the club of oil-producing nations: the GW70 land drilling rig, destined for the South Lokichar basin in Turkana County, has been received at the port of Kilindini in Mombasa, arriving from Oman. The information was made public on September 25, 2026, by the Kenyan press, including the Daily Nation and the allAfrica website.
The equipment, leased by Gulf Energy E&P from the Great Wall Drilling Company, is valued at over $20 million, or approximately 2.59 billion Kenyan shillings. It must be commissioned before operations can commence.
A tight schedule
Drilling is scheduled to begin on November 1, 2026, with the first commercial oil targeted for December 2026, according to the Daily Nation. The first phase is expected to produce 20,000 barrels per day, before ramping up to 50,000 barrels per day during phase two. The first crude oil exports from Mombasa are expected in the first quarter of 2027.
"The project remains on track for first production in December 2026," stated Gulf Energy Managing Director Paul Limoh, as quoted by the Kenyan press. Baker Hughes is responsible for well-related services, and SLB is in charge of the early production facility.
Six billion dollars, and a question of sharing
The development of the South Lokichar basin represents a total investment of approximately $6 billion. Kenya expects more than $2.9 billion in revenue over the lifespan of the field, according to figures reported by the Daily Nation.
These figures highlight the essence of the upcoming debate: the capital committed is several times higher than what the Kenyan state expects to collect. The question of revenue sharing, oil taxation, and the share allocated to Turkana County—one of the poorest regions in the country—will become central as soon as the first barrels are produced.
And after the crude?
The question of processing also arises. The Daily Nation notes that the refinery project led by Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote in Lamu remains dependent on the availability of crude oil. A Kenya that produces and exports its crude oil only to then buy back refined fuels would be repeating the pattern that the continent's economists have been denouncing for decades.
The December 2026 deadline therefore constitutes a first industrial test. The real test, however, will come later: that of the value chain.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
