By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, 28 April 2026 - President William Ruto has unveiled a broader regional strategy to process oil within East Africa, signalling a shift away from exporting crude and towards building local industry.
Speaking at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference in Nairobi, Ruto said Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan are working towards establishing a single, large refinery to serve the region. He emphasised that the plan is rooted in cooperation rather than competition.
“We have made the decision that we are going to do this together… so that we can have one big refinery here,” the President said.
The proposal follows recent remarks by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, who expressed interest in building a refinery in Tanzania. Dangote had indicated he would replicate the scale of his Nigerian facility if regional leaders backed the project.
Rather than treating the idea as rival plans, Ruto framed it as an opportunity to pool resources and maximise impact. “We must use the assets that we have… we cannot continue to export raw materials,” he said, underscoring the need to refine oil locally and create jobs.
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The President also dismissed suggestions that the plan could derail Uganda’s separate refinery ambitions, insisting the focus is on shared growth. “How does three countries coming together to build one piece of infrastructure amount to a headache?” he posed.
Beyond oil, Ruto pointed to mining and renewable energy as part of a wider industrial push, positioning the refinery as one piece of a larger economic transformation agenda.
The discussions come as Kenya continues to explore its own oil potential in Turkana, with leaders now looking at how regional cooperation could shape the future of energy and manufacturing in East Africa.