Tullow Kenya invests Ksh 100 million in Baringo’s mobile clinics

Tullow Kenya has today donated 7 mobile clinics worth Kshs 100 million to support the First Lady’s Beyond Zero campaign which aims to reduce Kenya’s high rates of maternal and child mortality.

The first of the clinics was handed over today to the Baringo County government at a ceremony held at the county headquarters in Kabarnet. Present at the function were the First Lady, H.E. Mrs. Margaret Kenyatta, Cabinet Secretary for Health, James Macharia, and the County Executive led by Governor Benjamin Cheboi.

In addition to Baringo, the first four mobile clinics have been pledged to Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet and Kisumu counties and will be handed over in the coming months.  The remaining three mobile clinics will be handed over to other counties in the coming months and in accordance with the Beyond Zero schedule.

Tullow’s commitment was first announced during First Lady’s historic run at the London Marathon in April. This is in addition to the Kshs 400 million the company has pledged to spend this year on water, education, health and environmental projects to assist communities across all regions where it is active.

“Tullow is committed to promoting the socio-economic development of the communities where we operate,” said Tullow Country Manager, Martin Mbogo, who was represented at the function by Tullow Kenya Social Performance Manager, Robert Gerrits.  He expressed admiration and praise for the efforts of the First Lady and Beyond Zero in helping to address maternal and child health in the country.

“Access to maternal and child health services in Baringo county has been identified as a priority area for improvement and Tullow is proud to partner with the First Lady and the county government in this effort,” he said. “The mobile clinics we are donating are meant to bring health services closer to the people,” he added.

Mbogo noted that Tullow, which in February carried out seismic surveys in the county and is currently analysing the data for signs of oil deposits, has also invested in supporting the creation of better livelihoods for the young people of Baringo.

Since 2012, the company has provided Kshs 7.5 million in bursaries to secondary and college students from the county. This year, 3 students from the county have been awarded scholarships by the Tullow Group Scholarship Scheme to pursue post-graduate qualifications in prestigious universities in the United Kingdom and Europe. They will be part of a group of 30 Kenyan scholars who will join their counterparts from 8 countries in Africa and South America in studying courses that are relevant for the development of their home countries including courses related to the oil and gas industry.

Other projects Tullow has supported in Baringo as part of its social investment activities include the construction of the Chesongo Community water borehole and the Kipkoro water pan in Salawa division as well as the Chemura water pan in Barwessa Division. This year, Tullow has already committed Kshs 10 million to support the Ketiborok water project.

“Our goal is to ensure that the growth of the oil and gas industry brings real and lasting benefits to the people and communities in our area of operations,” said Mbogo.

Tullow has been active in Kenya since 2010 and has been carrying out exploration in Turkana, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet and Kisumu counties.