22 April 2014, Nairobi — The Kenya upstream oil & gas industry players have come together to form an industry association whose main aim is to promote the industry’s activities in Kenya.
The Kenya Oil & Gas Association has nine founding members all of whom are involved in exploration activities across the country.
This follows successful discoveries of oil and gas in the northern and coastal Kenya, an indication of Kenya’s potential and potential development of the discovered resources.
Speaking during the launch, Senator Kiraitu Murungi, who’s the former Energy Minister welcomed the formation of the association terming it is a positive move in the development of the nascent industry. He said it would encourage the players to intensify their oil & gas exploration activities and greatly contribute to the growth of the industry.
“I want to thank KOGA members for injecting the necessary resources in search of the finds we are currently witnessing and celebrating. We urge more investors to come into the country and put in more resources and more technology needed to make more discoveries. Ultimately, we want to improve the quality of life for all Kenyans,” Murungi said.
The former minister further added that oil resources are a blessing and therefore called for their prudent management by all.
Gurjeet Phull Jenkins, the chairperson of KOGA said that this was a great step in bringing together the players at this early stage to promote the industry’s activities as well as work with stakeholders in building the new sector.
“This is a great milestone in the development of the industry in Kenya. All founding members of KOGA are fully committed to contributing and working towards the responsible development of a sustainable upstream industry in Kenya,” she said.
Gurjeet also noted that this is an exciting time for the country but challenges abound. She urged all stakeholders to work and walk together in the journey towards establishing the industry in Kenya.
The Association is made up of 13 companies that have been licensed by Ministry of Energy & Petroleum. The association’s main objective is to promote the activities of the upstream industry by working with the government and other key stakeholders to ensure that industry activities are carried out in a responsibly.