By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Tanzania, May 05, 2026 - President Samia Suluhu Hassan has publicly questioned President William Ruto over plans for a proposed regional oil refinery in Tanzania, revealing that she was never consulted before the project was announced in Nairobi last month.
The unexpected exchange unfolded during Ruto’s state visit to Tanzania, casting fresh uncertainty over the multi-billion-shilling refinery proposal linked to Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote.
Speaking after bilateral talks on Monday, Suluhu disclosed that she had privately asked Ruto why he announced the refinery project in Tanga without informing her government beforehand.
“As we were speaking privately, I asked President Ruto to explain why he went ahead and announced a refinery project in Tanga while I was unaware of it,” Suluhu said.
“He now needs to explain to us why he made that announcement.”
Her remarks raised immediate questions about how far discussions on the project had progressed and whether Tanzania had formally agreed to host the refinery.
Last month, while speaking at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference in Nairobi, Ruto had presented the refinery as a joint regional plan involving Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan.
“We have made the decision that we are going to do this together,” Ruto had said at the time.
He added that the region intended to build “one big refinery” to support industrialisation and reduce reliance on exporting crude oil abroad.
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However, following Suluhu’s comments, Ruto appeared to soften his earlier position, clarifying that his direct discussions had mainly involved Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
Defending the proposal, Ruto described the refinery as a major opportunity for East Africa and encouraged Tanzania to support the idea.
“The building of a refinery is a big opportunity for business and industrialisation,” he said.
He added: “The good people of Tanzania, you are lucky that we are discussing having a refinery in Tanga. Kenya and Uganda are willing to invest. Rwanda is also willing to invest, and many other countries are willing to invest, and I hope Tanzania is also willing to invest.”
The refinery proposal gained attention after Dangote expressed interest in backing a large regional processing plant for East African crude oil.
Supporters argue that such a facility could create thousands of jobs, lower fuel costs and help the region process its own oil instead of exporting raw crude.
Kenya alone is estimated to hold more than 560 million barrels of crude oil in Turkana, with exports expected to begin later this year.
But Suluhu’s remarks now suggest that key regional discussions may still be far from complete, despite earlier public optimism surrounding the project.