Kenya’s government says it has approved a plan to produce between 2,000 and 4,000 barrels a day of crude oil in an effort to exploit the country’s oil production potential.

A statement from the president’s communications department said that infrastructure will be upgraded to allow trucks to ferry the oil to the country’s main port in Mombasa.

The Cabinet also approved the development of a pipeline from the exploration fields in the country’s north to Lamu, where Kenya is constructing a second port, which in the future will be the main source of transportation for crude oil from Kenya.

The pilot scheme has the potential to deliver up to 2,000 barrels per day in the second half of 2017, according to Tullow Oil PLC, which is doing the exploration.

The country will start refining her first crude oil at the Kenya Petroleum Refinery in Mombasa in readiness for export.

“The first crude oil in Kenya will be refined at the Kenya Petroleum Refinery in Mombasa, which has now been fully acquired by the Government through the Kenya Pipeline Company,” a brief from Cabinet read in part.

To facilitate transportation from the Turkana oil fields, the Eldoret-Lokichar road is being upgraded at the cost of Sh3.2 billion.

However, no timelines were given for the oil production or the upgrade of the road network.

Credit: Associated Press, Standard Media, Daily Nation