Since 2009, even before the 2012 oil discoveries in Turkana, CANCO has been at the forefront of oil,
gas, and mining governance in Kenya. At a time when the sector was still emerging, we recognizedthe urgent need to safeguard community rights, strengthen accountability, and shape responsible
extractive development.
Today, exploration and extraction activities span Kenya’s key sedimentary basins — Lamu, Anza,
Mandera, and the Tertiary Rift — with additional activity in Nyanza, Magadi, and South Kerio troughs.
Meanwhile, significant mineral deposits — including coal (Mui Basin, Kitui), iron ore (Taita Taveta),
and rare earth and mineral sands (Kwale) — continue to attract large-scale investments.
As the sector expands, so do the risks: land displacement, environmental degradation, weak
benefit-sharing, and governance gaps.
Through our Oil, Gas and Mining Programme, CANCO works to ensure that Kenya’s natural resource wealth is managed transparently, equitably, and sustainably.
We focus on:
Our work ensures that development does not come at the expense of people or ecosystems.
CANCO convenes the Kenya Oil and Gas Working Group (KOGWG), a national public interest advocacy network championing good governance in Kenya’s oil and gas sector.
As convener, CANCO provides strategic leadership, technical coordination, and policy engagement support — bringing together civil society actors to speak with a unified, informed voice.
Under the Business and Human Rights framework, CANCO–KOGWG has implemented a robust programme advancing land governance, extractive accountability, and energy justice.
Working in partnership with:
Our work ensures that development does not come at the expense of people or ecosystems.
We have strengthened community protections and contributed to the operationalization of Kenya’sNational Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
Founded in 2008, CANCO champions good governance, democratic rights, and sustainable resource use.
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