Overview of Kenya's Exploration Blocks

Kenya’s oil and gas exploration blocks are located in four large sized sedimentary basins. These are the Lamu, Anza, Mandera and Tertiary Rift Basins which are divided into 46 exploration blocks.

In 2012, Tullow Oil in corporation with Africa Oil and Marathon made two significant oil discoveries in the Tertiary Rift Basin. The first at the Ngamia-1 well, in Block 10 BB, and the second at the Twiga South-1 well located in Block 13T. This was followed by further successes at Etuko-1 well (Block 10BB) in July 2013 at Ekales-1 well (Block 13T).

As of September 2013, Kenya's blocks are licensed as follows according to operators:


 * Adamantine Energy: operator of Block 11B in partnership with BOWLEVEN
 * Afren: operator of Blocks L17 and L18, operator of Block 1 in partnership with Taipan Resources
 * Africa Oil: operator of Block 9, in partnership with Marathon
 * Anadarko: operator Block L5, L7, L11A, L11B, and L12 in partnership with Total and PTTEP
 * Apache: operator of Block L8 with a 50% share, in partnership with Tullow Oil, Pancontinental and Origin Energy
 * A-Z Petroleum: operator of Block L1A, L3
 * BG Group: operator of Block L10A and L10B with a 40% and 45% share respectively, in partnership with Premier Oil Investments Limited, Pancontinental Oil & Gas NL, and Cove Energy plc
 * CAMAC: operator of Block L16, L1B, L27 and L28 in partnership with the Kenyan government
 * EDGO: operator of Block L14 in partnership with Qatar First Investments
 * Eni: operator with 100 percent share in Block in L21, L23, L24
 * ERHC: operator of Block 11A
 * FAR: operator of Block L6 with 60% share in partnership with Pancontinental
 * Imara Energy: operator of Block L2 with a 100 percent share
 * NOCK: operator of Block 14T with a 100 percent share
 * Ophir Energy: operator of Block L9 in partnership with FAR and Vanoil, and L15
 * Pacific Seaboard: operator of Block L20 with a 100 percent share
 * Rift Energy Corp: operator of Block L19 with a 100 percent share
 * Simba Energy: operator of Block 2A with a 100 percent share
 * Statoil: Block L25 (under application)
 * Swiss Oil Company: holds a 100 percent share in Block L4 and L13
 * Taipan Resources: operator of Block 2B with 100 percent share
 * Total: operator of Block L22 with a 100 percent share
 * Tullow Oil: operator of Block 10A in partnership with Africa Oil and Afren, 10BA and 10BB in partnership with Africa Oil, 12A in partnership with Marathon and the NOCK, 12B in partnership with Swala, and 13T in partnership with Africa Oil and the NOCK
 * Vanoil: operator of Block 3A, 3B