By Hassan Wekesa - Editor
Kenya, 30 September 2026 - President William Ruto on Wednesday welcomed the main investor of the Lamu East Africa Petroleum Refinery, Aliko Dangote, stating that he, personally, as Head of State, together with his family and the people of Kenya, accords the Nigerian billionaire full support to ensure the project becomes a major success.
Speaking during the launch, President Ruto said the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery project will create jobs and open up opportunities, a dream Kenya cannot afford to lose.
"We have already secured the land for this big investment, and we are doing everything required to ensure that administrative and bureaucratic challenges are addressed," President Ruto said during the launch at Mokowe town.
"When I saw 7,000 acres of built space, I saw something extraordinary in Lekki, Nigeria," President Ruto said of his tour of the Dangote refinery in Nigeria, where he said the technology and masterpiece he saw were magnanimous and world class.
"Every figure we speak of today is a target. All of it is achievable. In 40 months, the Lamu refinery is expected to be officially launched."
"My friend Dangote, I want to warn you, Kenyans are very good at keeping statistics, and when we give timeframes, they always put us to task," he stated.
The Head of State added that the Kenyan government will have a stake in the refinery.
"We do not want everything for free. We are going to deploy and mobilise resources, be it land or any other resources, to support this refinery," he stated.
During the launch, there was a symbolic flypast as the leaders and investors stood at the plaque of the project. The flypast symbolised the spirit of Africa's free airspace to spur industrialisation and economic collaboration.
Notable leaders present during the event included Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, Benin's President Romuald Wadagni, President of Togo Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali, and Nigeria's former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as ambassadors and various heads of diplomatic missions.
Kenya's Deputy President, Prof Kithure Kindiki, said common-user infrastructure will help Kenya and Africa develop and catch up with the rest of the world.
He thanked Dangote for being a courageous son of Africa.
Dangote stated that the Lamu project is the second-fastest project his company has implemented, after the Gode Fertiliser Project in Ethiopia.
"This Lamu project started like a joke. President Ruto sent a few guys to me with an interest in buying fertiliser from us in Nigeria. Thereafter, President Ruto and our elder, President Museveni of Uganda, thought it wise to have a petroleum refinery in East Africa, and Tanga in Tanzania was floated as a better place for that particular investment. However, after thorough research, we settled on Lamu as the ideal place for the project," he revealed.
"We are not simply breaking ground for an oil refinery, but we are opening a brighter future for Africa," Dangote said.
Dangote said about 110 pieces of equipment are already on site, with about 400 more expected to arrive over the coming weeks.
He said that African solutions to the continent's problems rely on "creating more value from what we have here in Africa."
He advised Lamu residents to jealously guard their land resources once the project becomes fully operational, as tempting and mouthwatering deals will be on offer.
"Land prices will hike, but don't be tempted to sell it easily," he stated, as he thanked the Lamu governor for his speech, in which the county boss said the $16 billion (KSh 2.2 trillion) investment, which President Ruto made clear would take effect in Lamu, should not be wrestled out of his hand.
Host Governor Issa Timamy said Lamu had for far too long been marginalised, but has now made history with monumental projects.
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"Lamu had a rich history but was marginalised. Today, Lamu is making international headlines as a major investment hub," Governor Timamy said.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi thanked President Ruto and Dangote for their bold decision to invest in Lamu.
It is expected that domestic oil refining will make oil prices cheaper, even in the event of unprecedented shocks such as those witnessed during the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, which resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for a fifth of the world's petroleum shipments.
The Lamu oil refinery targets 700,000 barrels a day, and the Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary, Opiyo Wandayi, earlier revealed that Kenya will have to source crude oil from other parts of the world in addition to local sources.
Kenya has crude oil reserves in South Lokichar, Turkana County, and first commercial drilling is expected to commence in November 2026.
The Turkana oil reserve has a capacity of about 20,000 to 50,000 barrels a day, and the Dangote refinery will have to rely on imports in addition to the local supply of crude oil.
The Lamu oil refinery brings many opportunities to the county, which for many years remained marginalised and was a key target for Al Shabaab fighters, who had turned it into a hub of insecurity.
Its proximity to the now-operational Lamu Port, which forms part of the new major corridor of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) project, and its access to the Indian Ocean, means finished petroleum products from the refinery will have access to major markets across the East African region, the Horn of Africa, and other world markets.
The project will bring additional infrastructure to Lamu and will spur job creation and economic growth.
Dangote said the refinery will create 60,000 jobs. He said they want local businesses to become suppliers so that local growth can be achieved.
"If these people are paid salaries, they will need to eat, and this means many other businesses will have to open shop," Dangote said prior to the launch.
On Thursday, at Fulugani in Kwale County, President Ruto stated that those opposed to the industrialisation approach were behind the court cases challenging the setting up of the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery in Lamu.
"I will not allow detractors to stop our dream of making this a reality," President Ruto said.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said President Ruto is a visionary leader who has implemented many projects across Kenya's coastal counties in record time, citing the Mwache Dam, which, he said, he had heard about since his high school days.
The project never materialised even throughout his tertiary education days, and even when he served as Kwale Governor.
He added that it took President Ruto to actually implement the project and many others in Kwale.
"We can see the President has done a lot for our people here in Kwale and the entire coastal region. Let us support him for a second term come 2027," Mvurya said.
Mvurya urged residents of all six coastal region counties — Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River, Lamu, and Taita Taveta — to ensure that those with National Identification cards register as voters so that, come 2027, their voice is heard at the ballot.