Six heads of state to join Ruto for Lamu refinery launch
Business
By
David Njaaga
| Sep 30, 2026
At least six heads of state and government leaders are on Wednesday, September 30, expected to join President William Ruto for the groundbreaking of the Sh2.2 trillion East Africa Oil Refinery in Lamu.
Rwanda President Paul Kagame, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye are among the leaders expected to attend the ceremony.
Benin's Romuald Wadagni and Togo's Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové are also expected at the event, bringing together leaders from across the region and beyond for the launch of the project.
The refinery will take up to three years to build, according to Citizen Digital, and will process up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil a day, supplying refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighbouring countries.
The government has identified Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo as potential markets for the refinery's products.
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The ceremony comes a day after police fired tear gas to disperse Lamu residents protesting over land rights and compensation before construction begins.
The protests followed a Malindi Environment and Land Court order requiring parties to maintain the status quo on disputed land until October 14. The court declined to stop the planned groundbreaking.
The case was filed by 133 Chandavai residents who say their families have occupied, cultivated and developed parts of the land for generations. They are seeking protection of their interests in the disputed property.
Aliko Dangote dismissed concerns that the court case would derail the project during a meeting with Kenyan and East African investors in Nairobi on Tuesday.
“I said this is normal for us in Africa. In fact, this is small,” Dangote said.
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi also maintained that the launch would proceed despite the court case.
“We will be launching the Dangote refinery in Lamu tomorrow (Wednesday),” Wandayi said on Tuesday.
The refinery is expected to create about 60,000 jobs, according to Ruto, and support Kenya's industrialisation and fuel security.
Dangote has also proposed that Kenya and two other East African countries take a combined 30 per cent stake in the project.
“The refinery is like the gate. Once you open and have the refinery, you'll be shocked at how many people will know to come and invest in Kenya,” Dangote said during an interview in Lagos.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said a ship carrying 2,930 metric tonnes of construction equipment docked at Lamu Port on Saturday, September 26, ahead of the groundbreaking.
The equipment is expected to support construction of the refinery, which Dangote Group plans to develop as a major energy investment outside Nigeria.