President William Ruto has termed those opposed to the Ksh 2.2 trillion East African Refinery in Lamu County as extortionists saying the project is a strategic energy security investment for the country and the region.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony of the refinery being constructed by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Mokoye in Lamu County, President Ruto told off those opposing the project as brokers urging Kenyans to consider investing in the project.
“Some of the people you see issuing statements left, right and centre and sponsoring court cases are actually extortionists. They are looking for an opportunity to be talked to somewhere in the corner,” said Ruto.
On the 25th of this month, an application was filed at the Malindi Environment and Land Court seeking the stop commissioning of the project over compensation.
In the orders issued by Lady Justice Jane Onyango, the National Lands Commission and six other respondents are expected to file their response within 14 days with hearing set for October 14, 2026.
President Ruto who was joined by Heads of State from Uganda, Ethiopia, Togo, and Benin and representatives from regional countries for the ceremony said Kenya is keen on investing in the facility through the National Infrastructure Fund and urged Kenyans to be ready to invest in the project through the planned initial public offering.
“The government is going to have a stake in the refinery and we are going to deploy assets. We do not want anything for free,” said Ruto. “We are going to use the National Infrastructure Fund to invest in this refinery. Kenyans of all works, I want to ask you, you have an opportunity of a lifetime to invest in this refinery,” he added.
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni lauded the project as game changer in the continent for its ability to turn raw crude into refined products terming it as crucial for regional integration.
“The biggest mistake was to continue to export unprocessed raw materials. This is a betrayal,” he stated.
Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his country which forms part of the LAPSSET corridor stands to benefit from the project saying over dependent external markets to refine Africa’s crude oil has exposed the continent to shocks in the global market.
For too long, much of the fuel that powers our economy has been refined elsewhere. This leaves us exposed to shocks in the global market.
“Located within LAPSSET development, it can connect refining more closely with regional markets. For Ethiopia, an additional regional source will broaden our supply options and create new opportunities for trade and investment,” said Ahmed.
The Dangote refinery which will be constructed over a period of 40 months will have a capacity to process 700,000 barrels of oil per day, produce 1000MW of power out of which 500MW will be fed into the national grid.
Additionally, the plant will produce one million tonnes of polypropylene, a base oil production that will supply 20pc of jet fuel to Europe.
“For too long our continent has actually been rich in resources but poor in value creating addition. We have exported crude oil and imported refined products. We have exported minerals and imported manufactured goods, we have exported agricultural commodities and imported processed foods. I have been a firm believer and advocate that such practice only leads to us exporting our jobs and opportunities that should remain in the continent and lead us into importing poverty into our nations,” said Aliko Dangote, Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group.
Dangote Group has also committed to create 60,000 jobs besides building a training school with a capacity to train 1000 people.
