NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has maintained that land earmarked for the proposed Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu is government-owned, dismissing claims that the project is being developed on privately owned land.
Wahome said the government had identified and secured land for the multi-billion-shilling refinery, amid an ongoing dispute involving residents who claim ancestral and occupation rights over portions of the area.
The Cabinet Secretary also accused what she described as “enemies of development” of allegedly planting squatters in the area in an attempt to frustrate the refinery project.
Her remarks come against the backdrop of a legal dispute involving more than 100 Lamu residents who have challenged the use of land earmarked for the refinery, arguing that they have occupied and cultivated portions of the land for years.
Wahome has previously said the government had identified about 7,000 acres for the refinery, while indicating that an additional parcel of more than 2,000 acres was also State-owned.
President William Ruto has similarly stated that the main land secured for the refinery belongs to the government and that residents would not be displaced from the core project site.
Ruto said the government had secured about 10,000 acres for the refinery and was pursuing an additional 3,000 acres for a planned Special Economic Zone, factories and other supporting developments.
The President has also said that where additional land is required outside the government-owned site, the State would take responsibility for compensation rather than leaving residents to negotiate directly with the investor.
The government’s position has, however, been challenged in court by residents from the Hindi/Manda Magogoni area.
A group of 133 residents filed a case at the Malindi Environment and Land Court over land identified as LR No. 13061, claiming that they have occupied, cultivated and developed portions of the land for generations.
They have raised concerns over their homes, farms, crops and other property and are seeking recognition of their interests in the land acquisition process, as well as compensation and resettlement.
The court ordered parties to maintain the status quo on the disputed parcel pending an inter partes hearing scheduled for October 14, 2026. The court did not, however, stop the planned groundbreaking ceremony for the refinery.
The Dangote East Africa Refinery is estimated to cost about Sh2.2 trillion and is planned to have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
The project was officially launched in Lamu on September 30, with President Ruto and Dangote joined by several African leaders for the groundbreaking ceremony.
The refinery is expected to produce petroleum products for Kenya and the wider East African market, with proponents saying it will strengthen regional energy security and create employment opportunities.
The project has also been linked to wider development plans for Lamu, including housing, industrial facilities and a Special Economic Zone. The government has announced an additional Sh7.5 billion investment to construct 3,000 housing units in the county as preparations for the refinery and related developments advance.
While the government maintains that the principal refinery site is public land, the court case means questions surrounding occupation, land rights and compensation remain before the courts.
The competing positions have placed land ownership and the rights of people occupying the project area at the centre of debate over the refinery.
The October 14 court hearing is expected to provide the next major legal step in determining the claims relating to the disputed parcel.
Meanwhile, the government continues to defend the refinery as a major industrial investment, while local residents pursuing the case maintain that their land and livelihood rights should be addressed through due legal process before any further development affecting disputed portions proceeds.
