Kenya asks the public to name its Turkana crude ahead of December 1 first oil

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The government has asked Kenyans to suggest a name for the country’s crude oil, which it plans to start producing commercially from Turkana County on December 1, 2026.

In a public notice, the State Department for Petroleum says every crude traded globally carries a name that appears on cargo papers, price reports and trading screens, and that Kenya’s oil will need one before it is offered to international buyers.

“Kenya’s chosen crude name will be the country’s commercial identity in the global oil market for decades, and it will carry Kenya’s story to buyers globally. The Government therefore considers it right that Kenyans take part in choosing this name,” the notice reads.

Submissions close at 5pm on Thursday, October 29.

What the name must meet

The notice compares the exercise to the names used by other producers: Brent for the United Kingdom, Murban for the United Arab Emirates, Bonny Light for Nigeria and Pearl Sweet for Uganda. Murban prices also feature in Kenya’s monthly pump price reviews, as our report on EPRA’s October review shows.

According to the State Department, a proposed name should:

• be distinctly Kenyan and speak for the whole nation;
• be patriotic and carry national pride;
• be easy to pronounce and remember in any language;
• not be tied to a single county, community or company;
• carry no political, religious or divisive association; and
• be available for trademark registration in Kenya and internationally.

Each entry must give the proposed name, its meaning and why it suits, plus the name, phone number and email address of the person or organisation sending it. Proposals can be made through the State Department’s website, by email to crudeoilbranding@petroleum.go.ke, or in a sealed envelope marked “PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: NAMING OF KENYA’S CRUDE OIL” delivered to the Principal Secretary at Kasneb Towers Two, 11th floor, Nairobi.

The department cites Articles 10 and 118 of the Constitution and the Petroleum Act as the basis for the consultation. It has not said who will make the final choice or when the name will be announced.

Where the project stands

Commercially viable oil was found in the South Lokichar Basin in 2012. The notice says the government has set December 1 as the date Kenya moves “from exploration and pilot production into full commercial production”, after which the crude will be offered to international refiners and traders.

At a briefing for editors in September, Edward Kinyua, director of petroleum and gas at the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), said the developer was keeping to the timelines in its approved plan, the Kenya News Agency reported.

“The first oil date has been set for December 2026, and we expect, as per the field development plan, that the first export of crude out of Mombasa will happen in Quarter 1 2027,” Kinyua said.

EPRA received the field development plan for Blocks T6 and T7 on September 30, 2025, and Parliament ratified it in February 2026. Gulf Energy is leading the project after buying the assets of the previous developer, according to the agency’s account.

The basin is estimated to hold between 453 million and 560 million barrels. Output is projected to start at about 20,000 barrels a day and rise to 120,000 barrels a day by 2032. The wider plan includes an 825-kilometre pipeline from South Lokichar to the Port of Lamu, part of an estimated KSh793 billion investment by the government and private investors.

The naming call comes as the government manages fuel import risks. Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has said supplies remain secure despite the Iran crisis, though longer shipping routes could push up costs.