Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta (photo), has disclosed that Tullow Oil Plc will make the country become part of the league of oil producing countries, as plans are ongoing to start small scale crude oil production in 2017.

According to him, Tullow oil will start oil production in March 2017 and export will begin three months later.  The company will also drill eight additional exploration wells in the North Lokichar region.

“We have started and we are not moving back. We want to be at the top of the pile. So, we have set a path and by 2019, Kenya is going to be a major oil producer and exporter,” Kenyatta said.

Kenya’s recoverable resources are estimated at 750 million barrels and Tullow has said it will drill more wells to increase the estimates by more than a billion barrels.

Preliminary production will be at 2000 bpd and will be transported by road to Mombasa until Kenya builds a pipeline.

The Kenyan government has entered into an agreement with Tullow, Africa Oil Corp., and Maersk Oil for the development of the pipeline. The conduit is to connect fields in the northwestern Lokichar region to a port in Lamu, Bloomberg reports.

Anita Fatunji