Kenya aims to start small-scale crude oil production from fields in its northwest in 2017 and has commenced to work on road and rail infrastructure that will be used to transport it, Reuters reported.

Energy and Petroleum Minister, Charles Keter, detailed that roads connecting the oilfields to Eldoret, in the west, were being improved, along with a railway from Eldoret to the port city of Mombasa.

The Africa Oil and Tullow Oil companies were 50-50 partners in blocks 10 BB and 13T in Lokichar in northwest Kenya, where the discoveries were made in 2012. Africa Oil has since sold a 25%  stake in those blocks to A.P. Moller-Maersk.

The recoverable reserves in the fields total an estimated 600m barrels, which will feed into a crude pipeline from Uganda when built. According to the Minister,  with the estimated production discussed with Tullow Oil, with oil prices at $30, the field will be able to produce about 2,000b/d, Yahoo News reported.