Kenya joins league of oil exporting countries

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Kenya on Monday joined the league of the oil exporting countries by flagging off its first export consignment of 200,000 barrels oil worth $12 million.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta flagged off the inaugural shipment of crude oil destined for Malaysia at a ceremony in the southern coastal town of Mombasa.

"The flagging off of this consignment represents a new dawn not just for Kenya but also for our region and a beginning of a new era of prosperity for all Kenyans," Kenyatta said.

He said the “historic moment” will shape Kenya’s future and contribute to key development projects that will make Kenya a prosperous nation.

The Kenyan president noted that oil exploration in the country started in 1937 but it was only in 2012 that viable commercial oil was discovered.

In 2012, the oil was discovered in Kenya’s northern Turkana country by British oil exploration company Tullow Oil, which estimates the field holds 560 million barrels of oil.