Browsing by Author "Brunton, Sally Lesley"
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- ItemBeating the resource curse: Transparency in Kenya's upstream oil and gas sector(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Brunton, Sally Lesley; Taylor, Ian; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 2012 Tullow Oil plc discovered commercial quantities of crude oil onshore Kenya. Additional commercial discoveries have subsequently been made and estimates suggest that Kenya’s oil reserves are substantial. Steps towards the development and production of these reserves are progressing and Kenya is thus preparing to become another of sub-Saharan Africa’s oil-exporting states. Nevertheless, experience has shown that the majority of these resource-rich states have succumbed to symptoms of the ‘resource curse’: economic and human development and growth has been hindered rather than helped and many of these states find themselves struggling to escape from the clutches of rent-seeking, bribery and corruption. In an attempt to determine how best Kenya might avoid the negative impacts of the curse this study examines various strands of resource curse theory. It focuses on theories that suggest the promotion of good governance through the implementation of effective transparency and accountability measures can help a state to beat the curse. Following a discussion about Kenya’s political culture and an overview of the structure of its oil and gas sector, this study applies these theories to the case of Kenya in order to ascertain how transparent its oil and gas sector is currently, what it stands to gain from further transparency and accountability, and what barriers might stand in the way. This study concludes that whilst the Kenyan government and international oil companies operating in Kenya offer rhetorical support for the promotion of effective transparency and accountability, this rhetoric is not matched in practice. Kenya’s oil and gas sector is characterised by opacity and its reform is currently in limbo. The primary reason for this appears to be a lack of government will to implement change: Kenya’s political culture is inherently secretive and this in turn lends itself to the continued prevalence of bribery, corruption and ethnically-motivated patronage. International oil companies, civil society and the international community each have a role to play in promoting transparency initiatives and face certain challenges of their own, however without government support there is little hope that such initiatives will progress from rhetoric to reality. This study ultimately shows that unless and until Kenya’s oil and gas sector embraces transparency, its positive impact on the state’s development is likely to be thwarted.