CS Wandayi appoints committee to fast-track oil development
According to a Gazette Notice dated August 22, 2025, the 35-member multi-agency team is drawn from government departments, legal experts, engineers and financial specialists.
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has appointed the First Oil Technical, Commercial and Legal Working Committee to spearhead Kenya’s oil development agenda.
According to a Gazette Notice dated August 22, 2025, the 35-member multi-agency team is drawn from government departments, legal experts, engineers and financial specialists.
It will be chaired by Joseph Otieno.
The committee’s mandate includes negotiating first oil technical and commercial agreements between the government and contractors, drafting enabling policy and regulatory frameworks, overseeing implementation of contracts, and advising on land access frameworks for oil development projects.
It will also be required to prepare quarterly and annual reports to the Cabinet Secretary and Principal Secretary, and may invite external experts to advise on complex commercial and technical issues.
The creation of the committee is part of efforts to accelerate the commercialization of Kenya’s oil discoveries in Turkana’s Blocks T6 and T7, with the aim of achieving full field development and securing a crude oil export route.
The ministry stated that the committee will operate under the supervision of the Cabinet Secretary and in consultation with the Principal Secretary, with a secretariat set up to document proceedings and prepare reports.
The appointment comes as Kenya seeks to revive stalled oil exploration and development plans and position itself as a regional crude exporter under the government’s Vision 2030 economic blueprint.
