Nairobi (dpa) – Oil has been discovered for the first time in Kenya, although the commercial viability of the find has yet to be determined, the president of the East African nation said Monday. Tullow Oil, a British-Irish firm that is also exploiting oil reserves in neighboring Uganda, said it would drill further at the Ngamia-1 exploration well, in Kenya's northern Turkana district, to establish the full potential. “This is the first time Kenya has made such a discovery and it is very good news for our country,” Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said. “It is, however, the beginning of a long journey to make our country an oil producer, which technically takes three years.” Kenya is East Africa's largest economy, built around business, tourism and agriculture. “This is an excellent start to our major exploration campaign in the East African rift basins of Kenya and Ethiopia,” said Angus McCoss, Tullow's exploration director. “To make a good oil discovery in our first well is beyond our expectations and bodes well for the material program ahead of us,” McCoss said. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/Ywp32 Tags: Discovery, Kenya, Oil, Tullow Section: Business, East Africa, Latest News
