Kenyan presidential candidate Patrick Osoi has urged Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote to suspend plans for a major oil refinery in Kenya, arguing that local investors can execute the project.
According to Vanguard, Osoi made the remarks while addressing supporters at an event organised by the Lions Movement.
The politician insisted that Kenyan businesses possessed the capacity to establish a domestic refinery without depending on foreign investors.
“We Kenyans have business people who can start the refinery,” he said.
Osoi maintained that his administration would prioritise local participation in major industrial investments if elected president.
Dangote’s Kenyan refinery project faces opposition
The comments follow Dangote’s proposed $16 billion refinery development in Lamu, Kenya.
The facility is designed to process approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil daily, serving Kenya and other East African countries.
Dangote and Kenyan President William Ruto performed the project’s groundbreaking ceremony on September 30, 2026.
Construction is expected to take approximately 40 months.
However, the investment has faced opposition from some local residents over land ownership, compensation and environmental concerns.
A Kenyan court has also ordered the preservation of the existing situation pending the resolution of a land dispute.
Although Osoi expressed confidence in Kenyan investors, he did not explain how a domestically financed refinery would be funded or developed.
Dangote has not publicly responded to the presidential candidate’s latest remarks in the cited report.
The proposed investment remains an important component of efforts to expand oil refining capacity in East Africa.
