Tullow Oil Kenya in Court: When the Giant Stumbled

By James Ekuwam
Once upon a time in Kenya, a certain oil company—let’s call them Tullow Oil Kenya—strutted into Turkana like colonial overlords, acting like they’d discovered oil and oxygen. They came, they drilled, they promised jobs, schools, roads… and what did they deliver? Dust, drama, and the dehumanizing treatment of locals who dared ask questions. To Tullow, the Turkana people were just background extras in their oil-slicked fairytale.

But karma doesn’t need a permit to operate.

This week, in a courtroom far from the oil rigs and empty promises, the mighty Tullow was humbled—no, humiliated—by a single woman, Lynnet Gatobu. An insider. A whistleblower. A mother who took her kids to the UK for a company assignment and got treated like she was smuggling livestock instead of serving as an international assignee.

KES 7,145,980 (unfair dismissal)
KES 4,000,000 (discrimination)
KES 6,567,496 (benefits withheld)
= KES 17,713,476

Tullow tried to bury her in technicalities and silence her with disciplinary letters. Instead, the court buried them in a KES 17 million judgment, with the judge pretty much saying, “You thought you were slick. You’re just slimy.”

And it gets juicier—this is not the last case. Word on the ground is that more lawsuits are loading. Former employees, local communities, maybe even the watchman at the gate are queuing up. Tullow’s legacy in Kenya? Not oil wealth. Just court dates and shame.

Remember when they said, “It’s just business”? Yeah. Now it’s just justice.

Stay tuned. The goose isn’t just coming home to roost. It’s suing for damages.

Article by James Ekuwam,

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