Lamu refinery project to break ground following Ruto's visit to Dangote

Kenyan President William Ruto visited the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria, ahead of the scheduled September 30, 2026, groundbreaking ceremony for the Dangote East African Refinery in Lamu, Kenya. The new Kenyan facility is a joint venture involving the Dangote Group and is expected to cost between $15 billion and $20 billion.

The Lamu refinery is designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, utilizing feedstock from Kenya’s Lokichar fields in Turkana County. Beyond refining, the project is expected to generate approximately 1,000 megawatts of electricity from petroleum coke, with 500 megawatts potentially available for sale to the Kenyan government.

President Ruto stated that the project will transform the regional petroleum sector, enhance energy security, and create an estimated 60,000 jobs. The refinery is also expected to stimulate spin-off industries such as fertilizer, chemical, and packaging production. As part of a broader development tour, the President will also issue nearly 200,000 land title deeds across Kenya's Coast region.