The find was made by Tullow with its debut well in north-west Kenya on an onshore licence next to Lake Turkana.
Highlighting the excitement in Nairobi, Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi said the discovery could be larger than known discoveries in neighbouring Uganda, where Tullow has led a wave of exploration success that has firmed up about 2.5 billion barrels.
Some explorers with knowledge of Kenya's geology suggested the potential could be far higher with one claiming it could be ten times as great.
Kenya's
