NAIROBI, Kenya – Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has renewed his attacks on President William Ruto’s government, alleging a brewing scandal in the country’s energy and petroleum sector.
Speaking on Monday, Sifuna accused the administration of orchestrating suspicious changes in the ownership of companies prospecting oil in Turkana, raising concerns over transparency and public benefit.
“Parliament has invited your views on the Turkana Oil Field Development Plan (FDP) that we are currently considering. You should pay attention because this is Ruto’s biggest scandal yet,” Sifuna said.
He specifically pointed to Gulf Energy—formerly Tullow Oil—whose ownership, he claims, changed hands multiple times in just a few weeks.
The Nairobi Senator warned that recent amendments to production agreements effectively shift profits away from the public.
He noted that on November 25, 2025, the government raised the maximum recoverable cost for petroleum production from 55% to 85%, potentially depriving Kenyans of tangible benefits.
Sifuna also highlighted changes to Clause 27(2)(b), expanding the definition of capital expenditure to include labour, fuel, repairs, and other operational costs.
“This clever restructuring exempts Gulf Energy from complying with the Local Content bill, which requires oil companies to use locally available resources, labour, and supplies. We may basically never see a coin from our oil,” he said.
Sifuna described Ruto’s administration as being hijacked by “dealers in government who don’t care about anything other than themselves,” asserting that the notice from Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye calling for public submissions on the FDP is a “smokescreen” to obscure real ownership details.
