ODM party leader Oburu Oginga has called on residents of Lamu and the wider Coast region to reject attempts to derail the Sh2.2 trillion Dangote oil refinery project. He described the project as a potential game-changer for the region's economy. Oburu made the remarks ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony for the 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery. He urged local communities to support the project while calling on the government and other stakeholders to ensure host communities are integrated into the development, fairly compensated, and protected.
The statement comes on the backdrop of President William Ruto's stern warning to individuals he accused of seeking to frustrate the refinery project. Ruto, speaking in Kilifi, said he would not allow people he described as "shares brokers" to derail the investment, estimated to be worth between Sh2.2 trillion and Sh2.9 trillion. He cited previous investments involving Dangote and Uganda's planned crude oil pipeline through Kenya, saying the projects had been affected by bureaucratic hurdles and other interests.
Oburu welcomed Ruto's support for the refinery, saying the project would help advance industrialisation and economic development at the Coast. He extended his appreciation to Ruto for recognising the transformative potential of the project and providing the necessary state goodwill to turn it into reality. Oburu described the refinery as the largest private industrial investment in East African history and said it would have far-reaching economic implications for Lamu and the wider region.
The refinery is expected to create more than 60,000 direct and indirect jobs and generate 1,000 megawatts of power on site, with 500 megawatts supplied to the national grid. Oburu said the project would also anchor the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor and stimulate industries such as petrochemicals, manufacturing, packaging, and agro-fertilisers.
Oburu linked the project to the legacy of his late brother, former ODM leader Raila Odinga, saying Dangote had been a close friend of the former opposition chief. The Chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has been a cherished family friend and a true, long-standing brother to Raila Amolo Odinga, Oburu said.
The groundbreaking ceremony, which will be attended by six heads of state, comes days after the Malindi Environment and Land Court declined to stop the event and ordered that the status quo be maintained on land until October 14, when a case filed by 133 residents of Chandavai will be heard. The residents had told the court that the land is ancestral and that their families have lived and farmed there for generations.
Dangote dismissed those behind the court process, saying the court order would not halt the groundbreaking ceremony and eventual construction of the refinery. He described it as a small issue and stated that anybody who wants to cause trouble, they are ready for them. The refinery is expected to take up to three years to complete.
Key points
- The Dangote oil refinery project is estimated to be worth Sh2.2 trillion and will create over 60,000 jobs.
- President William Ruto has warned individuals seeking to frustrate the project, citing previous investments affected by bureaucratic hurdles.
- The project is expected to generate 1,000 megawatts of power and anchor the LAPSSET corridor.
