Kenyan court halts Dangote refinery work as firm says groundbreaking holds

Kenyan President William Ruto (R) with Dbagote Group CEO, Aliko Dangote (L). Photo: X/William Ruto

The Malindi Environment and Land Court in Kenya has directed that the construction of the proposed Dangote refinery in Lamu County be placed on hold until further hearing.

The development came after some farmers and local inhabitants of Chandavai, an area in Lamu ​County, opposed the move, citing cases of “forceful eviction” and the destruction of their properties.

According to a Bloomberg report on Monday, Judge Jane Onyango ordered that “the status quo prevailing” be maintained.

The report noted that the court will provide further directions on the case on October 14, according to the order, which was issued on September 25 but made public on Monday.

A lawyer representing the petitioners, George Wakahiu, told Bloomberg that the ruling means no construction of the project should begin until the court meets on October 14.

The Dangote refinery project entails “forceful eviction of the plaintiffs from their lands, damage and destruction of their properties and yet there is no resettlement plan for them,” according to the petitioners. Dangote and the Kenyan authorities have yet to comply with the nation’s environmental code that requires “a mandatory environmental impact assessment be done before the implementation of any major project,” they said.

The refinery also fails to comply with Kenya’s constitution, “which requires that the necessary public participation” be conducted, according to the court filings, the report stated.

However, in a report by Reuters on Tuesday, the business conglomerate of Africa’s richest man, Dangote Group, said in ​a statement that the court was yet to stop the refinery’s groundbreaking ceremony.

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It noted that activities at the proposed refinery site would be affected pending the October 14 court hearing.

“The court has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony of the ​refinery at this stage. However, activities at the site may be affected by ‌the ⁠ruling, as both parties are required not to carry out activities until the case is heard on 14th October,” the statement read.

The PUNCH reports that Kenyan President William Ruto said his government was fast-tracking administrative processes for the proposed Dangote refinery in Lamu. This is as Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, said the planned facility would be bigger than the existing Nigerian plant.

Ruto spoke on Friday during a tour of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, ahead of the September 30 groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu, Kenya.

The Kenyan President said his government had already secured the land for the project and is working on other requirements to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and ensure that construction and subsequent operations are not delayed.

He described the proposed refinery as a regional project that would expand industrial activities in East Africa, create employment opportunities and improve the technical skills of the region’s workforce.