Conservation and environmental news: Eastern African Marine Ecoregion

Theme: "Towards Enhancing Greater Transparency, Accountability and Good Governance in Oil and Gas Development (Exploration and Production) in Kenya.

Venue: Boma Hotel, Nairobi Kenya.

The extractive industry includes the development and exploitation of natural resources including renewable (water, forestry, wildlife, and fisheries) and non-renewable natural resources (coal, oil, gas and minerals). Recent discoveries of commercially viable petroleum, coal and other mineral deposits have been reported. How these resources are accessed and developed will present either a blessing or a curse to the country. The greatest gainers or losers will be the host communities in the regions where these resources are found.

To enhance good governance in the oil and gas development sector, many countries in the world are introducing laws and regulations that require:

1. Mandatory publication of natural resources agreement/contracts say on mining, oil and gas,
2. Regulatory agencies and companies improve the accessibility and comprehensiveness of information and reporting,
3. Introduction of mandatory transparency reporting by companies and regulatory agencies,
4. All companies operating in their territories to make public all information relevant to revenue transparency.

At the same time these countries are establishing institutions to carryout independent audit of mining, oil and gas companies. Other countries have set up agencies in charge of revenue collection from land and natural resources. Another tool or mechanism that is now widely accepted and used by governments and companies in the oil, gas and mining sector to strengthen good governance, promote openness and accountability is the Extractive, Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

EITI has set rules and requirements that detail what candidate countries must do to join, achieve and maintain compliance with the initiatives global standards for reporting extractive revenues. The rules also include provisions designed to ensure effective participation of civil society organizations.

Kenya needs to promote openness and accountability in the oil, gas and mining sector by becoming an EITI candidate. The government needs to voluntarily allow the country become an EITI candidate so as improve its local, national and international credibility and affirm its commitment in fighting corruption by publicly stating its intention to implement EITI while working with the civil society through an established multi-stakeholder group.

However for this to happen, civil society organizations and the public need to know what EITI is and how to participate effectively in EITI process. To this end, WWF in partnership with CANCO, KOGWG and TI has organized a one-day conference with the theme of “Towards enhancing greater transparency, accountability and good governance in oil and gas development (exploration and production) in Kenya” to be held at the Boma Hotel.

PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES IN KENYA


WWF, CANCO, KOGWG – Kenya Oil and Gas Working Group,Transparency International