Kenya Extractive Industries Development Programme: Public Awareness and Community Engagement

This research report shares findings of a pilot project conducted in September 2015 by Africa's Voices Foundation which used radio and mobile phone text messaging to facilitate transparent public dialogue around potential gas and oil developments in Turkana, Kenya. The report looks at how the community was engaged through radio and sms and also outlines some of the findings of this engagement. The pilot project demonstrates that "Africa's Voices approach can create authentic public dialogue, and provide rich, credible evidence that amplifies citizens' voices to a national level."

The project formed part of the Kenya Extractive Industries Development Programme implemented by Oxfam. Following the discovery of more than 300 million barrels worth of oil reserves in Turkana county, northern Kenya, the programme formed part of a coordinated effort to ensure that this discovery benefits Kenya's economy and spurs inclusive development. The radio pilot project was designed to be part of this process. Community meetings were held for residents of Turkana County to voice their opinions and concerns, both during the meetings and through a toll free sms hotline. Citizens raised concerns around the oil and gas developments which helped to create scripts for the radio shows. Focus groups, which followed community meetings, were used to test radio content.

Using the radio scripts provided by Africa's Voices, Radio Jambo Turkana broadcast three one-hour interactive radio shows (in Swahili) over four days. Audiences were invited to send their questions and concerned ahead of and during the shows by text message to the toll-free number. Radio presenters were able to see the audiences' messages and read them out live - encouraging more participation. In total, Africa's Voices received 617 text messages from 220 unique participants (37.4% women). Overall "most people who sent messages agreed that the extraction of oil and gas will benefit the life of their community" particularly related to employment opportunities. However, some expressed concern around how some communities, such as nomadic people, will be affected, while others were concerned that local people will only be given low-skilled jobs (cleaners, security) and that "there is no transparency in recruitment so people with connections to the government will get the best jobs."

The report offers a number of recommendations emerging from the opinions voiced:

• "Communities in Turkana must be regularly consulted by oil companies and the county government in inclusive and transparent forums. Communication needs to be honest and accessible, and keep communities up-to-date on the extractive industries' activities.
• Future communications should address and confront the negative effects of oil extraction, including on the environment and public health, by including independent experts on these issues.
• There should be more information about the realistic job opportunities for people living in Turkana, including what the recruitment process will be. More broadly, the direct and indirect benefits of the extractive industries to local communities need to be explained to avoid inaccurate expectations."

The report also discusses recommendations from the pilot project strategy, including the need to work with other radio stations and expand programming languages in order to reach more people. Incorporating input from community meetings and text messages into radio scripts worked well in creating tailored, engaging content; however, "the most marginalised may not have access to radio or mobile phones. How these people will be consulted and involved in discussions about oil extraction should be considered in future projects."

The research brief also discusses some of the key achievements of the pilot project. Overall it was found that the interactive radio and sms approach was a valuable monitoring and evaluation tool that generated rich and credible information. "The pilot demonstrates how new opportunities of mobile technology can be seized, while recognising the continued power of traditional media in remote areas." The approach can be particularly relevant for amplifying women's voices and fostering a collective citizens' voice.