MOMBASA, Kenya- A drilling rig valued at more than Sh2 billion has arrived at the Port of Mombasa for Kenya’s planned oil production in Turkana County, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) says.
The rig is part of a 2,152-metric-tonne consignment delivered aboard the MV Transit Sedanka on Saturday, September 26, after a voyage from Abu Dhabi via Duqm in Oman.
KPA identified it as a GW70 integrated onshore drilling rig with a 1,500-horsepower capacity.
Once the cargo is discharged and cleared, the equipment will be transported by road to the South Lokichar oil fields in Turkana.
KPA said the shipment demonstrates the port’s capacity to handle large, specialised cargo for national projects.
The arrival is a step towards the government’s target of producing crude oil from South Lokichar by December 2026.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority has said first exports are expected through Mombasa in the first quarter of 2027.
According to the project estimates cited by KPA, South Lokichar could yield about 326 million barrels of recoverable oil over a 25-year period, with investment projected at $6.1 billion.
Those figures are forecasts; the arrival of drilling equipment does not mean commercial production has begun.
KPA said the shipment provides fresh momentum for the long-awaited Turkana project as preparations continue at the oil fields.
