"UK Tullow’s drilling plans in Kerio Valley face hostility"

The planned drilling by Tullow Oil in Kerio Valley appears to have run into headwinds as residents threatened to block the project, claiming they had not been involved in negotiations...The UK-based firm has identified a 7,000-kilometre square parcel dubbed Block 12A in the Kerio Valley belt running across Elgeyo-Marakwet and Baringo counties for oil exploration. Oil drilling is set to commence in January 2015 after conclusion of seismic surveys conducted in February, but concerns over unsurveyed land is raising anxiety among residents. Addressing a press conference in Eldoret Tuesday, residents told Tullow to follow the law by involving them. But Tullow said it had held talks last week with residents’ representatives over the matter.The residents led by Kerio Valley community secretary Justine Kurui demanded the government issues residents with land ownership documents...Tullow Kenya social performance manager Robbert Gerrits and environmental manager Alex Mutiso said that access to land would only be required on a temporary basis.